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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector’s Gift Set) $28.98 The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up, The Two Towers, proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towersadds 43 minutes to the theatrical version’s 179-minute running time, and there … |
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Bronze Finished Foundry Iron Griffin Victorian Antique Bookend/ Doorstop A fierce combination of lion and eagle, the griffin has been a symbol of heraldry since medieval times. This handsome, heavy iron beast is cast from a Victorian antique and finished in a bronze patina…. |
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Gentle Giant Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace Bookends $224.99 Measuring approximately 14â? wide, 9â? tall and 6.5â? deep, the Jabbaâ?TMs Palace Bookend Set is a hand-numbered limited edition accompanied by a corresponding certificate of authenticity. The Bookend Setâ?TMs modular disposition allows for a conventional bookend function or display as standalone components. The left portion encompasses a section of Jabbaâ?TMs throne room which includes the … |
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Star Wars: Yoda Bronze Statue $1,539.99 A Gentle Giant Release! In collaboration with sculptor Lawrence Noble, Gentle Giant brings you a scale replica of the Yoda Fountain located in front of the Lucasfilm: Letterman Digital Art Center at the Presidio of San Francisco, California. This solid bronze cast of Yoda stands approximately 7 3/4″ tall and is limited to only 80 pieces worldwide. The statue includes Certificate of Authenticity. R… |
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The Lonesome Puppy $9.60 In his first book for children, renowned artist Yoshitomo Nara tells the charming story of a puppy so large that no one notices himuntil a determined little girl climbs high enough to meet him and become his friend. A sweet tale from an artist for whom childhood holds a magical appeal, The Lonesome Puppy is sure to delight young readers and Narafans of all ages…. |
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Collector’s Encyclopedia of Bookends $7.79 Bookends have evolved into a well-established genre of interest amongst collectors, antiques dealers, and aficionados of the decorative arts. Since the publication of the Collector’s Guide to Bookends, published by Collector Books in 1998, knowledge about bookend sculptors, founders, and subject matter has continued to grow. This single volume is by far the most detailed and authoritative text pub… |
Sculpture Bookends!
Ferrofluid Sculpture – Prima Scultura in Ferrofluido
Sculpture Bookends Questions
Where can I find a “bookworm” book-holder?
Several years ago, I bought several “bookworms”– metal book-holders shaped like an L with an elongated horizontal stroke that coils back on itself. It serves the same purpose as a pair of bookends, but because it’s all one piece,it holds books much more securely–it can’t slide apart. Now I can’t find them. An online search just turns up cute sculptures and other things that aren’t it. Can anyone help?
Demco, a major supplier of products to libraries, has a stand-alone metal book holder that would do well on a bookshelf or tabletop. It’s not the coiled version that you’re seeking (I looked for that too and couldn’t find any) but you might find that it could serve as a good substitute. Here’s the link to Demco online: http://demco.com
When you get to that site search for “SAFCO steel book rack”. There’s one available in metal. I tried to post a direct link to it but the site wouldn’t let me do that. Good luck to you! 
The Journey Into E-Commerce; Part 1 – Which Product Should I Sell?
The decision to become an online retailer was a relatively easy decision for me. E-commerce appealed to me for the same reason that it appeals to the thousands of other online retailers. I won’t go into the pros and cons of e-commerce since there are already plenty of articles out there on the subject. The harder decision for me was trying to figure out which product to sell. Ultimately I decided on bookends (you know – the whimsical sculptures that hold up your books) which my friends still tease me about but it was the perfect product for me.
My entry into the e-commerce world started only about three months ago. A friend of mine had a tremendously successful e-commerce business selling nothing but cufflinks – nearly a million dollars worth annually. But even more impressive to me was that he was doing all of this from a one-room office with only one employee. As far as online products go, I couldn’t think of a better item to sell. They are very small so the storage and shipping costs are low. Most are relatively high-dollar so the gross profit is pretty thick. Each is relatively unique so it is somewhat protected from price erosion. People who wear them tend to own several pairs so there is lots of repeat business.
However, because of the reasons stated above, there are literally hundreds of competing sites out there all trying to stake a claim on that coveted piece of real estate that is the first page of Google’s search results. Sure, you could build a great site and pay-per-click your way into sales but its one thing to have sales and its another thing to have profit. My friend had started his site several years ago and had pretty strong SEO skills to boot so as a result he was consistently at or near the top of the search results for most of his targeted keyword phrases. This is what makes the difference between a site that struggles to remain profitable and one that is very profitable.
So why did I choose bookends? Well, I had looked at dozens of items and added them to my research list before crossing them off and going with bookends. The reason I chose bookends is that they are still relatively small, compared to say futons, so the storage and shipping is manageable but still requires a lot more space and handling effort than cufflinks. The price points for decorative bookends are mostly in the $50 to $100 range so the gross profit on each pair is respectable. Bookends are also somewhat unique.
Believe it or not I carry nearly 400 styles including bird bookends, rabbit bookends, monkey bookends, elephant bookends and even frog bookends. A customer that is looking for a unique pair will never find that kind of selection at their local Pier 1 store and even if they did they would be paying for all the overhead such as rent, payroll, etc. that a retail store has to build into the price for their products.
However, the biggest factors to look at when getting into any type of business are supply and demand. In the case of bookends, my research showed there was just the right balance of searches being made on Google and competing websites. I knew I could build a better site than the competition and the keywords weren’t so competitive that I couldn’t get the site to rank well with a modest SEO effort. I’ve given myself six months to analyze the results and see if my assumptions were correct.
Three months to go.
About the Author
Sebastian Joseph created thebookendstore.com and enjoys sharing his experiences with other would-be e-retailers.
