In episode 506 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kathy Gagliano, executive vice president of merchandising at Books-A-Million, the second largest bookstore retailer operating more than 220 stores in the United States. The discussion begins with the history of the company, dating all the way back to 1917 (0:55). According to Gagliano, the family-owned retailer invested in stores because physical bookstores matter for curation, community and culture, not price competition with Amazon.com. After opening 15 stores last year, Books-A-Million's 2026 strategy remains deliberate: expand in midmarket, high-growth underserved areas; avoid ultra-high-rent urban cores; and tailor merchandise assortments regionally (4:15).

Gagliano explains Books-a-Million's trendspotting strategy (10:15), why the company leaned into Manga/Anime, and its expansion into collectibles. She discusses the "romantasy" genre driven by TikTok/BookTok as well as a younger post-COVID female customer (14:15). The episode concludes with advice from Gagliano: stay disciplined when competitors falter; differentiate with curation and community; pivot quickly when customer demographics shift; and invest in people through long-tenured leaders alongside next-generation talent (22:00).

Kathy Gagliano is executive vice president of merchandising of Books-A-Million Inc., the nation's second largest bookstore chain operating over 220 stores in 32 states. Gagliano previously served as the company's senior vice president of merchandising, vice president of general merchandise, and in various positions within the Merchandising group since joining Books-A-Million in 2007. Prior to joining Books-A-Million, Gagliano began her career as an assistant buyer at Parisian Department Store in Birmingham, Alabama, and upon completion of a Master of Retail Merchandising degree from the University of Georgia worked at Federated Department Stores and Saks Department Store Group in a number of positions.