A little more about our business model

I have decided to offer mostly used books, with 10-20% of our stock being new and recent releases and best sellers. This decision was made for several reasons.

Books are expensive. A new hardback fiction book can cost as much as $40. For those of us who like to collect books, that can become costly. I believe people deserve to have access to reading materials and businesses need to make a profit to stay in business. Offering mostly used books saves the customer money and reduces expenses for the store. The lower my operating costs, the longer I can stay in business. Because I think a bookstore is an important part of a community, I want to stay in business as long as possible.

Studies have shown that approximately 320 million books are thrown away every year. While a large portion of that is owed to text books, it highlights the need for better book recycling and reuse. Most avid readers I know utilize their local library, and/or have enormous quantities of books. They may have a few favorites that they re-read from time to time (I have a few of those). In my personal experience, book collections sit and gather dust, becoming decor. There’s nothing wrong with books as decor, but I would rather have a smaller collection of books I enjoy reading over and over than another piece of decor I have to dust. I also love passing along books to other people. If treated well, they are durable and will last for years.

Used books are a known entity. New releases are always a gamble. You never know if you’re going to like it, there aren’t many reviews available, and if you don’t like it you’re out the money you’ve spent. Used books, however, have probably been around for a while. A seasoned book will have more balanced reviews so you can make an informed decision about whether you want to spend your hard earned money on it. I can tell you from experience that new releases don’t always live up to the hype. There are probably a lot of gems sitting out there gathering dust that you may not have read yet. Maybe they will be on our shelves?

For new releases, I do plan to offer a few every month. I won’t be able to offer ALL of them, because the store just isn’t big enough. My starting floor plan includes 8-10 bookshelves that can hold 250-300 books each. We will accept used books in exchange for store credit, which is explained here in more detail.

There will be some merch available including tote bags, t-shirts, bookmarks, candles, mugs, journals, and a few other things I probably haven’t thought about yet.

As of right now, my target opening date is November 1, with a soft open in late October. I have a local artist/author who is interested in doing a book signing for the first volume of their graphic novel, and have reached out to a few others.

If everything goes to plan, I will have possession of the building on September 1, at which time I will begin accepting used books, based on our store hours.

Though I haven’t finalized the open hours, they are tentatively set at:

• Thursday – Book Club Night from 6-8 PM
• Friday – 2 PM – 6 PM
• Saturday – 10 AM – 6 PM

As I mentioned, the store should officially be open November 1 for sales, but I will be in the building getting ready to open most Fridays and Saturdays beginning September 1. I certainly won’t mind a quick hello or a book drop off between September 1 and November 1.

Hope to see you there!

Jennifer