Independent Booksellers Seek Same for Dynamic Relationship and Sales

News Flash -- Oakland, California: DIESEL, A Bookstore, established in 1989, is not closing, not for sale, and not under new management. The founders/owners, Alison Reid and John Evans, are looking for one or more new partners to share equally in the operation of their "high quality, independent neighborhood bookstore celebrating a California urban aesthetic, a cosmopolitan gathering point for those who love good writing."

The owners are taking the first steps in publicizing their search for new partners. Evans and Reid have prepared an open letter outlining their plans and will share it with those in the bookselling world, local newspapers, and their extensive e-mail list of customers.

The letter states, "We have opened, moved, and expanded this burgeoning, beautiful bookstore to its current vibrantly successful state. We are hoping to interest one or more individuals in partnering up with us to keep the store going in its dynamic spiral upwards. This brings in new perspectives, new visions, fresh excitement, and allows the long-haulers to take a little breather. The restructuring and reorientation, if handled properly, can also give the whole business a boost, a jumpstart."

Evans spoke to BTW about the campaign and the reasons for taking an unconventional approach to bookstore expansion. He said, "We have been co-owners since we founded the store in 1989. After five years we moved from Emeryville to Oakland and expanded, tripling our sales. We have seen many booksellers in business for 10 years and then they sell. Adding more staff and creating more managers is another option but we want partners sharing in the business to keep it vital, add new enthusiasm, and new ideas. We are not in dire straits financially; we're not in great need of an infusion of capital."

Are there staff people now who might buy in as partners? According to Evans, not now: "We have six full-time staff people in the store. None of them are interested. Our current manager has other career plans. We operate the store on an apprenticeship model -- we train and create booksellers. I know of three bookstores whose owners came from our store. That's the style of the store. Perhaps there are people out there who have dreamed of buying a bookstore but the risk is too daunting or they don't have sufficient capital."

Evans doesn't feel that new partners would necessarily have to come up through the bookselling ranks. "A new partner could lack bookselling experience -- we can train them -- as long as they have enough of an understanding of the book business and how it has a special status in the culture," he explained. "This is not for people who are seeking high profitability; it is for people with a passion."

Evans and Reid realize that adding partners might mean relinquishing control of aspects of the business they created. "We have no idea what we're going to get," Evans said. "It's both a risk and an opportunity. Alison and I have very different interests, and we strike kind of a balance. We will see how a new person would fit. The interviewing process would have to be very extensive. Their ideas may be different and could involve some changes in the store, but that can be a positive thing."

The 3,300-square-foot store is an active participant in an activist community. Evans sees DIESEL as more than the store he and Reid founded. He said, "It is very important for a bookstore like ours to survive. People tend identify us, the owners, as the store. But the store is much more than that. The customers and the community make the bookstore. Its function is so rich and diverse. I am less significant than all the other functions. We want the bookstore to continue to thrive and reach out into as many communities as possible. The more fully engaged the store is, the better."

To contact DIESEL, A Bookstore, call Evans at (510) 273-9325 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. --Nomi Schwartz