From Coat Checks to Cappuccinos -- Big Plans for New Bookstore Coming to Fort Wayne

The opening of a large, new bookstore in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by an energetic young entrepreneur, is scheduled for the end of June 2004. Mitchell Books, which will open in the mall space formerly occupied by Million Story Book Company, is the project of 31-year-old Peter Bobeck, who is also the son of the upscale mall's developer and owner, Duane Bobeck. The new store's floor plan, which covers 22,000 square feet -- 18,000 of which will be devoted to books -- has required extensive remodeling including the construction of a large addition to the back of the existing building. Bobeck estimated the project's cost at well over $1 million.

The Covington Plaza mall needed a bookstore, said Peter Bobeck. "After Million Story Books closed [on July 31], people really missed it. It drew a lot of traffic to our shopping center, even after Barnes & Noble opened [at nearby Jefferson Pointe]. The bookstore was one of the largest stores in the mall and had been open for 11 years. We want the new store to be comfortable and warm like an ideal living room -- and to be a center of energy for Covington Plaza."

Bobeck, whose experience is in retail real estate, is quick to point out that he is not that knowledgeable about bookselling. "It was not our intent to be the operators of the bookstore, he explained. "We thought we could recruit another independent operator for the existing space." However, Bobeck was unable to find a bookseller to lease the space.

Once Bobeck decided that he would take over ownership of the store, he developed tremendous enthusiasm and ambition to create a multifaceted destination store. Rather than provide a "rehash of the existing concept," Bobeck began planning a store that differentiated itself from chain stores with a focus on "service, ambiance, and experience" and differentiated itself from other bookstores by offering a panoply of specialty stores-within-stores, activities, and amenities." The idea for a coat check occurred to Bobeck when, in one of his many bookstore visits, he found shoppers apprehensive about picking up books and magazines after coming in from a heavy rain.

Plans for the bookstore include a 60-seat screening room for regular showings of independent, foreign, and children's films; the inclusion of the staff and the entire inventory of Fort Wayne's children's book and toy store, Mr. McGregor's Garden; a music and DVD section; a travel department, including travel accessories; and a full-service cafe with two satellite outposts next to seating areas. Only the cafe will be handled by outside owners.

Although all the other components of the store will be owned by Bobeck, he hopes that the department managers will operate as if they were running individual businesses. "We will have incentive plans in place for managers and team leaders, at the senior level," Bobeck explained.

Recruiting those team leaders and, most significantly, a general manager, is Bobeck's top priority. "We want to find a person with management experience in a large bookstore. Please include my e-mail address and phone number-- anyone interested should feel free to contact me. My e-mail is [email protected] and the phone number is (260) 432-1000."

Bobeck doesn't plan to run the bookstore forever. The general manager he seeks might "want to take over ownership of the store at some point," he said.

Bobeck expressed respect for the work of Dave Kaverman, who owned Million Story Book Company, for more than a decade. "We want to retain the intimacy of the old store," Bobeck told BTW. "We'll try to emulate his service component." --Nomi Schwartz