By Anne White
Elm Street Books Manager Details Strong Sales, Event Growth, and Reading Trends at Men’s Club Talk
At the most recent Men’s Club meeting, Elm Street Books manager Manda Riggs spoke, saying the independent bookstore “is thriving,” crediting community support, a sharpened business model, and an expanded slate of author events. “This is a town that loves its bookstore,” she said.
Riggs traced her path to Elm Street Books and the store’s evolution. After moving to New Canaan in 2006 and a five-year stint in Hong Kong, she joined the shop and eventually took on buying and management responsibilities. She described early operational challenges—too many back-office roles that did not communicate—saying the store “was never losing money, but we were never making any money.” That changed as leadership consolidated and events scaled. “We are in a prime position for events because of our proximity” to New York along the I-95 corridor, she said.
Riggs outlined the store’s history: the current incarnation launched in 2003 in the Citibank building near the train station but the space was oversized and off the core retail path. The store reopened on Elm Street in 2006 in a former jewelry shop. In 2017, partners bought the building, keeping overhead low with a tenant restaurant downstairs. “In 2019, I became one of the owners. So I have a little bit of skin in the game,” she said, adding that the incentive “helped” drive growth.
Programming has expanded with regional partners. With the opening of the new New Canaan Library, event capacity rose from about 180 to 400. “We have kind of resurrected that relationship and they’re very happy to have us be booksellers there,” Riggs said, noting that when events are bundled the store shares revenue: “We give them 10% of the profits that we make off anything we sell.” Elm Street Books also supplies books for events at the Stamford and Wilton libraries.
On sales and operations, Riggs said the 1,800-square-foot shop currently carries about 28,000 titles and has nearly grown revenue “by 50% since ’17,” driven largely by events. Fourth quarter is pivotal. Black Friday weekend is strong, but “Christmas Eve day is unbelievable,” she said. Open only 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day, the store posted “$26,000” in sales last year, and demand routinely exceeds hours: “We get a lot of angry people at two o’clock pounding on the door.”
Riggs contrasted the store’s independently reported bestseller rankings with the lists customers expect. “Because we’re an independent bookstore, we do have our own bestseller list… It is not the New York Times bestseller list,” she said, adding that predicting holiday hits months ahead remains a “crapshoot.” Some heavily promoted titles underperform. “Jerry Seinfeld was one of my bigger duds,” she said of a past biography push, while a locally resonant release by James Frey sold “700 copies.”
She described industry pressures that complicate curation and pricing. Publishers are releasing far more titles with less selectivity: where she used to review 6,000 titles a year, “now I’m looking at 18,000.” Prices continue to climb. “This was the first time I ever bought a book that will retail for $55… We will sell it,” she said, but warned that at some point “they’re going to have to figure it out.”
Competition for attention is escalating across formats and screens. “People are really just not reading as much as they used to,” Riggs said, citing declines among readers in their 20s and 30s and a “very soft” market for ages 15 to 19. She noted content skew in young-adult publishing—“you could have a lot of violence… but you could not have a lot of sex”—and said staff often guides grandparents to suitable choices.
Asked about local demand, Riggs said Elm Street Books ranks “in the top 10% in the nation for hardcover sales” relative to its size. The strongest adult categories are “current events, political books,” followed by mystery. Women comprise the “vast majority” of customers, with a seasonal uptick in male shoppers during the holidays. Nonfiction’s share is rising in publishing output, but at the store “nonfiction is about 28%” of adult sales.
Riggs said technology already undergirds buying decisions. Title catalogs, order histories, and comparable-title algorithms are integrated into the store’s online ordering system. “In many ways, AI… has been around in this part of the industry for a very long time,” she said. Even so, personal reading remains decisive: “I’m still reading about 270 books a year… because nothing is as good as if I read it.”
She described persistent constraints in the business section—“I bought seven titles” for the fourth quarter from major houses—and a flood of unsolicited self-published pitches the store generally declines unless the author is local. On school reading lists, she said elementary and middle-school selections “have not changed,” and the store helps districts secure authors. On book challenges, Riggs stated, “I don’t believe that any book isn’t worth having,” framing choices about appropriateness as a parental responsibility.
Riggs closed with a plea for literacy at home. “Read to your children and your grandchildren because that is the number one thing that instills… a love of reading,” she said. “Thank you for supporting us. Truly.”
What’s Coming Up for the Men’s Club Speaker Series
Laura Budd, executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, will speak to the New Canaan Men’s Club tomorrow Friday, October 24, outlining how the Chamber advocates for local businesses and serves as a vital connector among merchants, nonprofits, residents, and town government. The meeting will be held in Morrill Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
The Men’s Club meeting will begin at 10 a.m., with Budd’s presentation scheduled to start around 10:40 a.m.
Budd joined the Chamber in 2012 as a marketing associate and was named executive director in 2020. Before her tenure with the Chamber, she worked in marketing and advertising for several firms, bringing experience in brand strategy and community engagement.
Under Budd’s leadership, the Chamber has grown to include 380 members representing a cross-section of New Canaan’s business and nonprofit sectors. The membership includes retailers, restaurants, professional service firms such as law and medical offices, and local service organizations.
According to the Chamber, its primary mission is to strengthen the local economy by helping businesses “increase their visibility, and ultimately sales.” The organization provides a central platform for collaboration among its members, the municipality, and community groups.
In addition to its advocacy role, the Chamber promotes community events that draw residents and visitors into town. Among upcoming activities are Saturday’s Autumn Stroll at Grace Farms and performances of *In the Heights* by Lin-Manuel Miranda, produced by the Connecticut Stage Company and staged this weekend at the New Canaan Library.
The Men’s Club will continue its speaker series the following week. On October 31, Jay Helmer, Development Manager, and Matt Slattery, Director of Construction for Habitat for Humanity, will present an overview of the organization and discuss how it helps families in Fairfield County.
The Men’s Club, open to men age 55 and older, offers weekly programs featuring local speakers and community leaders. Those interested in joining can contact the club at ncmens@ncmens.org
