Educators: Carrie Koepke, Skylark Bookshop; Jenna Bowman, Morgenstern Books; Kristen Sandstrom, Apostle Island Booksellers; Laura Kendall, Second Flight Books and Main Street Books The Manager’s Retreat offers bookstore managers a space to connect, reflect, and build strategies for leading with confidence and clarity. This half-day program begins with peer-led roundtable discussions focused on each manager’s top challenges, followed by an interactive presentation addressing key leadership topics: • Staff Development and Setting Goals • Best Practices for Effective Communication • Mediation and Conflict Resolution between Frontline booksellers and Owners Managers will then regroup for topic-specific roundtables to dive deeper into shared concerns and solutions. The retreat concludes with an optional relaxed lunch, an opportunity to keep the conversation going and build connections. Ideal for managers at any level, this retreat is designed to support the real-life demands of frontline leadership in indie bookstores. Format: Phase 1 (10:00 am - 11:00 am): Roundtables Managers round-robin and discuss their top two most pressing concerns in roundtables. Phase 2 (11:00 am - 12:00 pm): Presentation Classroom style education and discussion covering the topics above. Phase 3 (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm): Roundtables Managers return to roundtables for the last hour and are divided into roundtables based on discussion topics. Phase 4 (1:00 pm - 1:30 pm): Optional Lunch