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Kona Stories
Your local independent booksellers!
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| Aloha! | We're excited to share the results our our on-line survey with you. We used this newsletter and facebook to invite participation in the survey and 107 of you took time from your busy day to respond. Here's a synopsis of what you said:
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| Customer Survey Feedback Basic |
Reading Habits: 47% of you purchase more than a dozen books a year; 20% from 1 to 5 books per year. The most common places you purchase books are (in order starting with most frequent): Kona Stories, Used bookstores, Amazon and Borders. Your favorite types of books are (in order, starting with the favorite): Fiction, Mind, body & spirit, 'Other' and Mystery. Romance and Science Fiction are pretty much tied for you least favorite; no other category comes close.
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Shadow doing her job.
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Your favorite thing about Kona Stories:
It's pretty much a tie between the cats and the owners. We really appreciate all the nice comments about our 'warm and friendly atmosphere'. It's what we want to be known for: knowledgeable, personal & friendly service and friendly cats.
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| Expansion: |
There are quite a few requests for us to expand, both physically and in particular book categories. We actually have plenty of room in the store to add more books. We'll look at getting bigger once we feel we've gotten the maximum out of our current space.
Book Categories to expand: You've asked for more Used books and Mysteries as well as Science, Biography and other non-fiction. I've already started bringing in more science and other non-fiction (I'm looking at 15 non-fiction titles on our front 'new releases bay' now). I also plan to do a couple of orders next week focusing on paperback mysteries. To increase our used books, we are offering extra credit on paperback mysteries through the end of the month. See the coupon below for details.
46% of you would like to see us carry more cards. We're adding cards every week, but we can use an additional card spinner, so if you run across one for sale, please let us know.
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| Loyalty Rewards: | |
It's clear that value for your money is also important. We have begun research to offer a loyalty rewards program at Kona Stories. We have a lot of details to figure out first, so please be patient, but we hope to announce our program after we come back from Bookexpo in June.
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| Other Comments: |
Coffee & Food: I'm afraid that neither Brenda or I have any aptitude, experience or interest in having a coffee bar. That would just be too much like work. We are hopeful, though that sometime very soon, we will welcome a neighbor here in the Keauhou courtyard who will do a fabulous job with coffee and pastries. Meanwhile, we still have chairs in the store and a table and bench outside for your relaxing pleasure.
Local Authors:
 | | Our First Tuesday Local Author event |
Several comments mentioned having more local author books in stock. We have 3 shelves in a front bay devoted to local authors and are now doing our monthly "Words & Wine" which is devoted exclusively to local authors. We are happy to stock books by any local author; we just need to know about them. So if you have any author friends that would like us to carry their book or to participate in our author events please have them stop by!
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| Book Groups & More |
The "Second Tuesday Book Club" is reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese; an enthralling family saga of Africa and America, fathers and sons, doctors and patients, exile and home. We will discuss Tuesday, April 12 @ 6:30pm.
Parallel Lies by Stella Duffy will be the topic of at our next Lesbian group meeting on Tues. April 19 @ 6:30. In this novel, the fear of scandal threatens Hollywood's top leading lady when celebrity and sexuality collide in image obsessed Tinsel Town.
 We now have Game Night every other Friday! The next one is Friday, April 22th at 6pm. This is an informal gathering: bring your favorite game or just play what's on hand. Bring your favorite nacho topping to build your own nachos.
"Just the facts" meets on Tues, April 26th at 5pm to discuss Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell. Gertrude Bell was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire and was the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. This work is a richly compelling portrait of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class and times and created a remarkable and enduring legacy.
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PFLAG Meeting
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Thursday, April 14th at 6pm, we will host a Kona-side meeting of Big Island PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Everyone is welcome to attend. Bring a pupu or beverage, if you'd like.
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Teacher's Discount
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We are happy to provide a 15% discount to teachers (K-12) for books for classroom use. Talk to us about what you need for your classroom.
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| Contact info & Quick Links | |
808-324-0350
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Obviously, we can't respond to every comment, but be assured we saw them all and we are and have seriously reflected on your ideas. (except maybe for the suggestion that we should carry more rockets!?)
Your always trying to improve, local independent booksellers,
Joy and Brenda (Owners)
Shadow and Noble (Cats)
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Get an additional 50 cents credit per book for used mystery paperbacks |
Extra Credit: No Coupon needed-
Mystery Paperbacks
Based on your feedback, we want to expand our used books, but especially add more to our used mystery section. Normally we give $1 for each used paperback 'mass market' (the small ones). Now through the end of the month, bring in those paperback mysteries, thrillers, spy novels or who-done-its and receive $1.50 store credit. Your credit never expires and you can use it towards the purchase of ANYTHING in the store. (Good condition books only, please.)
| Offer Expires: April 30, 2011
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Kona Stories | 78-6831 Alii Drive Suite #142 | Kailua-Kona | HI | 96740
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