Christy Coyne, who opened her children's bookstore, The First Page in Costa Mesa, Calif., in 2003, now has a second store, at the Newport Hills Center in Newport Beach. The new location is 8,000 sq. ft. and, like the original store, carries about 3,000 titles. In addition to a large assortment of children's books, the store features a limited number of adult titles. The First Page complements its book offerings with a variety of educational toys and gift items.
Coyne credits the success of the first store to her decision to display books by grade level, face out—a strategy that makes it easier for customers to locate titles. Another successful tactic has been Coyne's school donation program. Customers can have 5% of each purchase donated to a school library of their choice. The First Page has donated more than $14,000 to schools since it opened in Costa Mesa.
Coyne is now focusing on adding an online ordering component to the store's Web site. She is also considering offering The First Page franchises.
