Grand Rapids, Minn. (population 7,000), is famed for two things. As the birthplace of Judy Garland, the town hosts a festival each summer that brings in hundreds of tourists to watch Garland movies and buy Wizard of Oz souvenirs. On the publishing scene, Grand Rapids is famous for an annual publishers' reps invitational golf tournament, hosted by Mike McGinnis, owner of Village Books in downtown Grand Rapids.
With 36,000 titles, the 3,100-sq.-ft. Village Books has been called "the biggest bookstore in the smallest town in the state." The Village Books' annual Invitational Golf Tournament was held this year August 13—14 at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course in Coleraine, a nearby town on Minnesota's weather-beaten Iron Range.
The tournament is open only to members of the bookselling community, although the rules are stretched to include McGinnis's relatives.
McGinnis, a retired librarian, bought the 32-year-old Village Books in 1980 and has sponsored the tournament for the past five years. Each year, some eight to 12 publishers' reps from the Midwest participate along with bookstore owners and buyers.
McGinnis reports that one commission rep, Scott Bartlett of McGarr & Associates, "scours garage sales all year for old trophies to give out as prizes." A year ago, McGinnis received a "West County Achievement Award 1995" trophy, and this year he won a "Miss Auxiliary Beauty 1982" statuette.
McGinnis started this annual golf tournament for publishers' reps out of guilt and gratitude. "Sales reps drive 200 or more miles each season to see me up here in the woods of northern Minnesota," explained McGinnis. "I felt so guilty that they would travel so far in all kinds of weather to call on me, buy me coffee or lunch and talk to me about books. Inviting them to a town famous for our great golf courses and beautiful lakes is a great way to give back something and to thank these reps for their loyalty."
"Reps schedule their trips around the tournament. It's kind of fun," said Shirley Woodward, owner of Woodward's Bookstore in Virginia, Minn.
Carrie Sutherland of Beecroft Books & Coffee in Superior, Wis., described the days leading up to the golf tournament as "a wild week of book buying. They all come the same week. But it's great, because we know we can focus on book buying that week."
"It's a great way to combine it with seeing accounts up there in northern Minnesota—it turns into a profitable trip," said Ian Booth, a commission rep with Altwerger Associates. "I'm surprised more reps don't go up there. The buyers probably buy 80% more because we actually meet with them face to face. Plus, this business depends on relationships, and the golf tournament strengthens these relationships—both with other reps and with booksellers. It's a lot of fun, but work gets done, too."
Eric Miller, co-owner of Miller Trade Book Marketing and president of the 213-member National Association of Publishers Representatives, thinks Village Books' golf tournament is a great idea. "I wish there were more such opportunities for booksellers and reps to get together in a social setting," he told PW.
"These guys pass each other on the road all the time," said McGinnis. "Here, for a little while, they can come together, relax and tell road warrior stories. It's cathartic."
