“I think that the reasoning behind [opening smaller stores] is, if the customer is not coming to you, you have to come to the customer,” says David Schwartz, general manager at Barbara’s Books. “Our formula for success is to open small, footprint-type stores in high foot-traffic areas.”
In addition to its neighborhood branches, Barbara’s operates stores at South Station in Boston, in Macy’s department stores in Chicago and Minneapolis, at Northwestern Hospital and the Sears Tower in Chicago, and at O’Hare and Philadelphia international airports. These smaller stores range in size from 700 square feet (Boston) to 2,800 square feet (Macy’s).
SPECIAL REPORT: The Transforming Booksellers’ Landscape
“I think that the reasoning behind [opening smaller stores] is, if the customer is not coming to you, you have to come to the customer,” says David Schwartz, general manager at Barbara’s Books. “Our formula for success is to open small, footprint-type stores in high foot-traffic areas.”
In addition to its neighborhood branches, Barbara’s operates stores at South Station in Boston, in Macy’s department stores in Chicago and Minneapolis, at Northwestern Hospital and the Sears Tower in Chicago, and at O’Hare and Philadelphia international airports. These smaller stores range in size from 700 square feet (Boston) to 2,800 square feet (Macy’s).