Oblong owner named head of New England booksellers' group

MILLERTON — Dick Hermans, the owner of Oblong Books & Music, has recently taken over the reins as this year’s president of the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA).

NEIBA was started by independent booksellers and publishers sales representatives to establish a networking group, Hermans explained. A trade show is held every year in the fall. The nearly 35-year-old association currently has approximately 250 members across New England and New York. Oblong has been a member since the late 1970s.

Hermans, who was the group’s clerk/treasurer last year, said that having the connections to other similar businesses has often come in handy.

“It’s nice to be in a little store, but sometimes you feel a little isolated,� he said, elaborating that speaking with someone in the bookseller’s trade with years of experience can give business owners a fresh perspective in how to best meet the needs of the community.

While Hermans said that independent bookstores account for about 10 to 12 percent of the book business, he feels that number is higher in New England. Of the nine regional independent booksellers associations across the country, NEIBA is the largest.

One of the biggest advantages of a smaller, independently-run bookstore is the staff’s knowledge of authors and titles as well as what the community is looking for, Hermans added.

“Chains have one buyer for 2,000 stores,� he said. “Independent bookstores have one buyer for each store. It creates unique selections.�

While Oblong always sells significant numbers of the blockbuster titles, it’s the books that only sell 10,000 to 15,000 copies that Hermans feels independent bookstores take pride in. And those are the titles that he feels the community expects to be there when they come into his store. And if they aren’t, the speed of ordering special titles now means that independent bookstores can compete on the same level as the big chains.

As president, Hermans has a few ideas for moving NEIBA into the future. With the publishing industry falling on hard times, attendance at the annual trade show has dropped off, and NEIBA will be trying to streamline the event to make it as successful as possible in future years.

The association is also pushing a variety of educational programs that will help stores develop Web sites and utilize online publishers’ catalogs, bringing them up to speed with the current technological advances in the industry.

Meetings are held at least once a month, and Hermans will travel around the area that NEIBA covers to connect with members and touch base with stores.

“There’s been a bit of a drop-off in membership as well,� Hermans said. He hopes that moving forward the economy will pick up and the association will begin to build up its funding reserves again. Over the last few years NEIBA has had to dip into its savings.

Over and above all, the association will continue to work toward keeping independent bookstores open and available to the community, Hermans said.

“It’s important that we be here,� he said. “We do it on a scale where it’s a part of people’s lives. [Oblong] is a part of the community, and all the stores I’ve encountered in the New England area aspire to that.�

Regular Oblong shopper Donna Aakjar explained that the staff’s knowledge is the key to the store’s success.

“It’s about knowing what the kids are into and also the one-on-one contact. She knew her customer base and she knew what would sell,� she recalled about Michelle Charles, who used to be the manager of Oblong Jr. That kind of service keeps Aakjar, a library media specialist, coming back.

“I think people just count on us being here,� Hermans said. “When you think about Millerton, you think about our store. We’re like Terni’s: We’re always there.�