Joey Theriot of Barnes & Noble with Blaine Little of Momentum Seminars
Murfreesboro’s own Joey Theriot, Regional Director for Barnes & Noble, has a mind for business and a heart for people. Joey has worked for some big retail names including Toys R Us, back in its prime, and Office Depot. In 2002, Theriot joined Barnes & Noble as a store General Manager and quickly moved up the corporate ladder.
His flagship store is at 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., in the Avenue Murfreesboro shopping center. From there, he keeps a pulse on more than a hundred other stores, mostly in the Southeast. His official title is Regional Business Development Manager, but he is filling in as leadership for two regions until another position is filled at the end of the year. And with that many locations under his management, he doesn’t get that much time in the office, so I was grateful to get a few minutes with him and to pick his brain about business and his success.
The management of thousands of employees is a huge responsibility. He states it is important to be a self-starter if you are going to lead others. But Joey also understands the importance of having a good work/life balance.
“An employee should give 100 percent at work and 100 percent to the family at home,” he says. In the past, Theriot has actually had to tell store managers to stop working and go home. He knows an employee who is rested will be that much more diligent and beneficial to the company when they are at work.
I asked the regional manager how the company is able to keep up with the recent online competition.
“It’s definitely changed our business,” Theriot said. “We’re continuing to evolve and learn how to serve our customers better.”
Since there are over 600 stores, the Barnes & Noble team can oftentimes pull inventory from a local store shelf and quickly ship it to a customer. But, Theriot continues, “There is something about the browsing of a book you can’t quite get on the internet.”
When asked about some of the principles that have led to his success over the years, Theriot immediately spoke of teamwork.
“When I see others grow and become successful, it gives me great gratitude to see that they are having that success. That bleeds over into their personal life, which means they are in a good work/life balance,” he says.
With an in-house coffee shop and big comfortable chairs, the bookstore seems cozy and intimate, and it is. However, the typical store may have on its shelves more individual products (SKUs) than a Super Walmart.
And the company takes pride in providing books from local authors at each location.
“We really try to customize our stores to fit the market that we serve,” Theriot states.
Often, the store hosts book fairs and author signings, so Barnes & Noble can be more than just a store, it’s an event.
One of the greatest services the company provides is working with local schools.
“We want to be competitive with school pricing. We understand they have a budget and they’re trying to get as much out of that budget as they possibly can. So, we leverage our partnership with vendors to give the schools the best competitive pricing we can possibly give them. It’s more about a relationship than trying to turn a profit with a school,” Theriot says. Barnes & Noble will hold a book fair for a school at the store location. Families can come in to discover what the kids may enjoy reading. The local Murfreesboro store is also a sponsor of the Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival.
As in years past, this holiday season will definitely be hectic at Barnes & Noble. I have personally felt the pressure of finding something enjoyable, yet educational, as gifts for the kids. Many of us struggle with finding just the right gift that suits a family member’s personality. If you want to visit a place with a large variety to find that perfect gift, be sure to put Barnes & Noble on your list.
