January 25, 2024 at 6:00 PM ET on Zoom

The first New Voices New Rooms (NVNR) Owners Retreat of 2024 will focus on the theme of "Strategic Closing": How to plan for store downtime to manage bigger projects such as renovations and inventories, unplanned shutdowns from crises like weather events or lockdowns, or blocking out time for owner and staff vacations.

The Retreat will be led by moderators Adam Waterreus and Janet Geddis.

Adam Waterreus is the owner of Lost City Books in Washington DC. A combination of new, used and rare books, it sits in the spot of the former Idle Time Books. Since opening in 2019, Lost City Books has become a hub for community activities, with book clubs for queer-narratives, black feminist authors, and sci-fi to name a few. Prior to creating his own bookstore vision, Adam worked in Politics & Prose for a decade and as a sale rep for W.W.Norton. Adam is also noted for his woodworking skills.

Janet Geddis is a business owner, writer, speaker, and community leader. The owner of Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia, Janet is involved with regional and national book industry organizations, presenting at least twice a year at conferences and volunteering her time for advisory boards. She began her first term on the SIBA Board in 2018. Janet holds an M.Ed. in educational psychology from UGA with an emphasis in creativity studies.

Owners Retreats are an invaluable opportunity for networking with your fellow store owners. Attendance free but limited to 50 people, 25 from each of the SIBA and NAIBA regions. You must be a member of either SIBA or NAIBA and a store owner to attend. One person per store, please.

SIBA Registration | NAIBA Registration