Capitialize on the Novelty of POD While There is Still Time
Blackwell is buying the Espresso Book machine for its retail locations. An inspired thing to do would be to put the POD device in the shop window rather than the back room.
I was in the Bloor Street BookCity location on the weekend. I was saddened to see they had closed their second floor. The BookCity owners appear to be worried about the future of book retail. In my ten years of going to their stores, I have never noticed a change in layout or concept. They found what worked back in the 80s then never changed. It served them well through the chain-expansion era. Now they are making location changes, but not really getting creative with how they interact with customers. Defeat? I smell it. The Bloor location is one of my favourite bookstores. I am sad.
If they bought the Espresso machine and put it in their front window they could at least trade on the novelty of the whole enterprise. Steal attention from Indigo. Draw crowds on the street. Possibly even charge extra to have members of the crowd participate in the book making process. Create a spectacle. Sell the excitement. If it works, they could open a location across the street from the Y&E Indigo that features nothing but the Espresso machine. It is an oversized photocopier but that could sure shake things up — if done right. On the other hand that might have worked in 2001. Maybe the moment has already been lost.
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