# Listen: Half The Price, All The Success with Kathy Thomas of Half Price Books

Published 2018-08-20 · Updated 2026-07-23 · Retail on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/retail/listen-half-the-price-all-the-success-with-kathy-thomas-of-half-price-books

> In an era of e-commerce takeovers, Amazon’s retail reign and the death of legacy brands, Half Price Books isn’t going anywhere; not only is the chain bookstore surviving while other like Barnes & Noble are floundering, it’s actually thriving. Our guest today can’t pinpoint just one reason for the store’s success; instead, she can…

In an era of e-commerce takeovers, Amazon’s retail reign and the death of legacy brands, [Half Price Books](https://www.hpb.com/home) isn’t going anywhere; not only is the chain bookstore surviving while other like Barnes & Noble are floundering, it’s actually thriving. Our guest today can’t pinpoint just one reason for the store’s success; instead, she can rattle off a handful.

Today we’re joined by [Kathy Thomas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathydthomas/), Chief Strategy Officer for Half Price Books, who sums up the power of a physical book store in one short phrase: “You can’t get inspired if you’re putting an [ISBN number](https://www.isbn.org/) in.” Thomas walks us through everything from guest experience, community involvement and smart stocking, and how they’re all helping Half-Price stand out among its competitors.

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