Two Minute Tweaks w/ Lisa Uhrik
Two Minute Tweaks is a podcast with brief book enthusiasm-building ideas for bookstores, libraries, college stores and other spaces connecting people with books. With Lisa Uhrik, co-owner of Franklin Fixtures -- the maker of shelves, browsers, custom counters, display cabinets, gondolas, dimensional slat wall, and bookcases for people creating powerful people places.
Episodes
Welcome to the 100th episode of Two Minute Tweaks! Fun fact: Less than 6% of all podcasts make it this far!
We're hitting this centennial milestone with an inspiring visit and insight from Midtown Reader and reflections from Lisa (feeling the pressure of time since she was four.)
What do you do when you've only got 100 years to live? Create a great community through bookshops, of course! Listen now and discover the true essence ...The practice of kaizen (good change) is fundamental to success in almost every industry. Can it work for us in our bookshops and libraries? It isn't about big, sweeping aha moments, but about a habit of finding one small thing every day.
It's easy to forget—and easy to renew your focus in two minutes. Listen now!
This episode salutes the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day, a celebration of the enduring influence of bookshops. Host Lisa Uhrik delves into the special role bookshops have played throughout history, from ancient Athens to Napoleonic France, highlighting their impact on communities and individuals.
This Independent Bookstore Day, let's make sure that every person leaves with the knowledge that your store is more than a...
Our shelves are like a silent sales staff, and it packs a warm and wonderful connection when they look customers in the eye. Our studies show that a connecting angle results in 35% more touch, which translates into sales, as we are 73% more likely to buy what we touch. The eyes seem to feel the angles.
Join Lisa as she explores the surprising difference angled shelves can make in your bookshop's performance, fostering interactions ...
Just as a captivating book hooks us from the first chapter, our bookshops can captivate visitors from the moment they step inside.
Plenty Downtown Bookshop uses an innovative dice game to creatively engage customers. This unique approach adds an element of surprise and enhances the shopping experience by fostering exploration and discovery.
Join Lisa Uhrik as she explores how this small, yet impactful tweak – creative moments of en...
It's a tiny word with a big mind shift: home.
We've long adopted the third space mindset, but Mindy Massey's use of a different word took it further and gave Lisa pause – and a useful insight for our bookshops. Click to listen now.
Like Mr. Fred Rogers, you're creating a special sort of space for your neighbors. And there are three specific things you're doing that he did too. Let's think for a moment together about those things – listen now!
Audio credit to Fred Rogers and PBS, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.
Join Lisa Uhrik as she shares an inspiring story of a real-life Christmas miracle, and reminds us that each of us has the power to move things — fences, mountains and hearts. What are your fences that need moving in 2025?
Inspired by Robert Putnam's book Bowling Alone and Netflix special Join or Die, we're exploring the reason we'll likely have no Christmas parade in our small town this year... and importantly, underscoring the vital importance of the small gatherings we facilitate as bookstores. As we navigate a world where traditional community bonds are weakening, we are reminded of the power of connection and the importance of revitalizing our ...
Peter Miller's Shopkeeping book inspires a look at the way we greet each other in the bookshop. We all are subject to falling into our routines and this is perhaps the most profound tweak yet, rooted in the simplicity of a real "I see you" greeting.
Let this episode inspire you to foster real relationships and enrich the experiences of everyone who walks through your doors. Listen now!
As we think about and offer help to our colleagues hurt by Hurricane Helene, it's a moment to take stock of those things we don't think about every day: insurance, fighting for our rights, and how to get the payouts when we need them. Click to listen now!
If Indiana Jones went for the Holy Grail and found it in a heap of other stuff, it wouldn't seem nearly so worth the quest. Let's look at the power of creating feelings of specialness and scarcity in your displays this week with a great example from Madeleine Moore at Powell's Books.
Inspired by the NPR article on DJ Johnson's Baldwin & Co, we're thinking about telling the story of your store today. How is it possible for a person in TN to know so much about a store in NOLA – to know their story, their initiatives, their whys? It's rooted in great storytelling, and inspires us all to think about our uniquely wonderful store's stories. Click to listen now!
A book display that is for everyone, is not really for anyone. We create powerful connections when we design for a specific person – or persona – that is your focus customer. Learning from an expert in persona identification, apply some simple techniques and identify your target person so that your display can really connect.
After seeing many great stores with some hungry-looking bottom shelves, Lisa brings attention to this valuable space with proven strategies that bring hope (and sales!) to the bottom. The key is visibility and connected content that sizzles. For visibility: if you've got Franklin Fixtures, you've likely got a the superpower of a tipped bottom shelf, or even a flared or tapered case, all designed for visibility and sales. Let's use ...
Join Lisa Uhrik in this week's Two Minute Tweak – a small shift in thinking that hopefully has a big result in your store.
Though I cringe when I watch someone default to Amazon to order a book in the middle of a conversation, my hope and belief lie here: We're different. We are as different from that A store as fast food is from the best farm-to-table restaurant. Grokking that deeply leads to radically different thinking about wha...
We're wrapping up the three-part series on shelving standards with a look in the middle of the floor, where we may see a lot of white paper edges from face-up books. We can do better. Waist high still counts, and so do all the visuals.
Listen now to continue the Shelving Standards exploration!
In part II of this "Shelving Standards" mini-series, let's explore what stops your customers from going all the way. What inspires the most casual browser to stop about one-third of the way in and leave? And how can standards help with that? We're looking particularly at floor fixtures and a tiered display in this episode, with three keys to success. Click now to continue the Shelving Standards exploration!
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