Still in demand

It is a weekday afternoon, and Joan Clary is pushing her cart through the aisle of the Coeur d'Alene Hastings.

She has been perusing the books, new and used.

"I love bargain books here," she said.

On this day, she plans on buying a single book that sits in that cart. "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business," by Charles Duhigg.

"This guy was just on Charlie Rose the other night," Clary says.

The retired professor at Gonzaga University visits the Best Avenue store often. She finds it open and inviting, the staff cordial and friendly. She believes it's how they've built up a steady clientele.

"If I can't find a book, they'll try their damnedest to find it for me," she said. "They really do."

Clary, an educator for 61 years, says she always gives books as gifts. She's not a fan of the Kindle and other tablets.

"I'm never going to get one of those because I've got a house full of stuff I've got to read first," she said, smiling as she headed toward the checkout counters.

As Clary departed, Hastings remained busy with a steady stream of customers meandering in, milling about, scanning book titles and looking over games. Others are flipping through music CDs, considering which movie to buy or rent for the night or sitting down for a coffee and glancing through a magazine.

Hastings is doing well. It is succeeding in a field where others have failed.

Consider: Print books are losing market share to ebooks to a point that Borders went under last year and the final chapters are being written on book stores in general. DVD store rentals are taking a beating from Redbox and Netflix, and downloading music and burning CDs is cutting in on sales of the hard copies.

Yet, Hastings holds its own.

"It's not really a secret," says manager Jason Blodgett as he sits down in the cafe.

He uses two words: Change and adaptability.

"We have a variety of mix to our products," Blodgett says. "As things kind of decline, we embrace change and grab on to the next big thing."

A few highlights come to mind.

Nationwide, he notes that print book sales have been declining, so Hastings stepped into the digital realm with ereaders, and launched a Hastings app to download books.

Industry-wise, Hastings was the first to start buying back CDs and selling used product.

"It's about change," he said. "It's about seeing what's coming up and really going for it."

Blodgett oversees about 50 employees at the Hastings store, where he has worked for nine months. He came over from a Spokane store, after a year there.

"I've always loved Hastings, ever since I was a little boy," he said.

Growing up in the Spokane Valley, Blodgett shopped at Hastings. He worked at Hollywood Video for about 10 years before it went under about two years ago.

Next stop, Hastings.

"It's the place to be," he said.

It has survived the economic downturn, he believes, because it offers thrift and value, "a great value proposition."

It's great for buying new and used, and to "recycle your entertainment." Hastings strives to provide options for customers, Blodgett said.

"People want to feel they are getting a good deal."

"It creates that loyalty," he added.

Hastings Entertainment

Hastings Entertainment is a national company that operates about 150 stores, and has more than 5,000 employees, primarily in the Midwestern and western U.S., according to answers.com.

Stores average around 25,000 square feet and usually feature plenty of chairs for reading, listening to music and drinking coffee, and a children's areas with books, games and space to play.

"It is a fun store to walk in," Blodgett said.

It also sells posters, novelty items, collectible cards, music instruments, comic books, games, some sports merchandise, figurines and models of popular characters like Wolverine, Green Lantern and Batman.

According to answers.com, Hastings recently posted annual sales of more than $500 million.

Despite being part of a corporation, Hastings' stores have a local feel, Blodgett said. The Coeur d'Alene Hastings opened about 20 years ago. Its No. 1 seller remains books, followed by music CDs, electronics, boutique novelty items and then video.

Blodgett said Hastings can compete with Redbox and Netflix.

"With Redbox, they only carry a certain amount of movies in that little box, where we have 7,000 of the favorite movies and 3,000 to 4,000 of the new releases. So if you go to Redbox, there's three things that could happen. They could have the movie you want, they might not, or you get the movie and it doesn't work."

Hastings also carries DVD series of shows that have aired on networks and cable.

"You aren't going to find those at Redbox," he said.

Used movies are always in demand.

"These $9, $7 and $5.99 racks are extremely popular," he said. "They need refilling constantly."

Overall, movie sales and rentals are off simply because the movies aren't that good, Blodgett said

"The general rule is, poor performance at the box office leads to poor performance on rental and sales," he said.

But there are still people who will wait to rent a movie and watch it at home, rather than go to the theater and pay $10 or $11.

Hastings, he said, has selection, variety, and best of all, real people to answer questions or offer assistance.

"You don't get that interaction at the Redbox. You just get a little description on the screen," he said. "It's that service and personal touch that you get here."

When it comes to music CDs, he said Hastings is catering to those who want a physical product - "those aficionados who want to have the disc instead of the download."

He pointed out that industry-wide, CD sales were steady last year, despite naysayers claiming their demise was near.

"This is almost getting boring to report each year - but here we are again," wrote Andrew Orlowski, on the website, The Register. "Twelve years after sales peaked the music CD format is stubbornly refusing to die. You can shutter the dedicated record shops, hide the CDs behind fondleslabs and video games in the megastores, offer the public instant access to cheaper legal alternatives - but still people go on buying CDs."

Hastings has embraced online sales, too. At gohastings.com, all inventory of its stores is available.

"So if you can't find it here in the store, you can find it new or used online," Blodgett said.

And for those who prefer the in-store experience, welcome.

"It's that adaptability and change," he said.

It is the last place in town where one can find a large chunk of store space committed to print products. Displays of the newest and hottest books like "The Hunger Games," greet customers as they come in. Bargain books fill more shelf space. Used books are mixed with new throughout, offering thousands of titles. Magazines are smartly lined up next to the coffee cafe.

Richard Mills of Coeur d'Alene was quietly checking out books on the Titanic, his interest sparked by the 100th anniversary of the ship's tragic sinking on April 15, 1912.

He said he has always enjoyed book stores. With the demise of Borders, and the decision of Barnes and Noble to not come here, this is one of the few left in this area.

Service is good, he said, and he usually finds what he's after.

"It has a very friendly kind of vibe," Mills said.

Sure enough, as Blodgett walks through the video games area, a customer has a question.

"Nintendo DS isn't the same as Gameboy, is it?" she asks

"It's not," Blodgett answers.

"The first generation DS plays the Gameboy games inside, but the newer ones do not," he adds.

The customer, satisfied, continues her game search.

Blodgett said the Coeur d'Alene Hastings has repeat customers who know, for instance, that Tuesdays are when new releases come out. He notes, too, they have many longtime employees. The music manager has been there seven years. The shipping manager, 14. The front end manager, 11 years.

"It's good to have that kind of tenure, people who know what they're doing," he said.

He has watched families walk in, then split up. Dad heads to the books, mom to the DVDs and kids to the games.

"Then they kind of all congregate up front and check out," he said.

Blodgett is confident in Hastings' future.

"It's a good value proposition," he said. "It's really set for success."