New Owners Reflect Renaissance in Indie Bookselling

When Oren Teicher, the American Booksellers Association’s CEO, addressed members of the book industry at February’s Tools of Change conference in New York City, he said that indie booksellers were experiencing a resurgence. Teicher noted that overall unit sales at ABA member stores were up in 2012 over 2011 and that the association had welcomed 43 new or branch stores opening last year in 25 states.

Since the start of 2013, one could make the case that the health of indie bookselling is also being reflected in the recent sales of well-established bookstores to new owners, who are being met with sincere appreciation and support from their local communities. BTW recently spoke to the new owners of four stores that were among those sold since January 1 of this year: That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas; Between the Covers Bookstore in Harbor Springs, Michigan; Inkwood Books in Tampa, Florida; and Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan.

Grant Hill

On January 2, Arkansas native Grant Hill purchased the iconic That Bookstore in Blytheville from longtime owner Mary Gay Shipley. After completing school, several odd jobs, and an AmeriCorps program, Hill was contemplating a career in bookselling, when he found out that That Bookstore in Blytheville was up for sale.

He began talking to Shipley about what it would take to keep the store open, and “she basically said ‘someone needs to take over,’ and that she was more than willing to be a part of that, to show the new owner the ropes,” Hill said.

“It was a huge leap.”

Hill began working in the store around Christmastime to get a feel for the variety of transactions and situations that running a bookstore would present. “It was trial by fire,” he said.

Shipley remains involved in the store, especially helping with events, “which is fantastic,” Hill added, “because there is a reason she’s been so successful — she is just really great at what she does.”

Hill also prepared to take over by talking to other Blytheville business owners to get a sense of the area and his customers. At both this year’s Winter Institute, which he attended along with Shipley, and by talking to members of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, he has made a number of professional contacts and has learned more about the industry.

“Bookselling is a unique industry,” Hill said. “I’m continuously blown away by the support other booksellers have shown me.”

Longtime customers and other community members have shown their support, too, Hill said, and so have the local banks and other institutions that were willing to loan him the capital to purchase the store. “They took huge risks, too,” he said. “I quickly discovered that everybody wanted me to be here.”

Shipley is so well known in the small town of Blytheville that it can be intimidating, said Hill. She often knows the life stories of her customers and their extended families. “That’s something there’s no way I can cram,” Hill acknowledged. “I can’t just become a part of the community overnight.”  To that end, he has been getting involved in any way he can, mostly by volunteering.

“Luckily it’s a small community, and we have really great customers,” Hill said. “So many people have invited me to lunch or to church, as a way for us to get to know each other. And that’s something that I don’t think would happen in a big city.”

Hill plans to make some small, gradual changes to That Bookstore in Blytheville, such as introducing more interactive, musical, and creative events, as well as literacy programs and writing workshops. “I want this store to be a hub of creativity as opposed to just a place where you can purchase creative things,” he said. “I think so far people are pretty excited.”

Katie Capaldi and Jeanne Regentin

Katie Capaldi officially took the reins at Between the Covers in Harbor Springs, Michigan, on March 1, but the transfer of ownership had been six months in the making.

“Without my even knowing it, I have been on the track to purchase a bookstore since I was born,” said Capaldi, a voracious reader since childhood, whose mother spent many years managing and buying for bookstores.

In middle school, Capaldi’s family moved to Petoskey, Michigan, where her mother worked at McLean & Eakin Booksellers and Capaldi began stocking shelves. “What I really wanted to do was talk about books with customers,” she said. “Handselling, pairing readers with good books, and promoting great literature quickly became a passion.”

After college, Capaldi worked at The Book Cellar in Chicago, and later at Missoula, Montana’s Shakespeare and Co. Upon moving back to Michigan, Capaldi started a kids’ book club at Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, which allowed her to “stay peripherally connected to the book world,” she said.

Many elements of running a bookstore — learning publisher accounts, point-of-sales systems, Edelweiss, ordering and receiving, and event planning — are “in my blood and background,” Capaldi said. And, if necessary, she can turn for assistance to Between the Cover’s former owner, Jeanne Regentin, who has remained close.

Capaldi closed Between the Covers for the month of March to sell or donate old inventory, discard cumbersome shelving, and build new wall-mounted shelves to clear room in the aisles for people to wander. She has also added several new sections to the store, including foreign literature, graphic novels, music, religion, philosophy, political science, pop culture, and farming. Small aesthetic details have also been changed, including the addition of decorative paint accents and a new store logo.

Capaldi has several plans in the works for events, including a monthly gallery night featuring a visual artist and musical performance; a new series of themed bookmarks bearing the work of local artists; a variety of special interest book clubs; and a partnership with local schools to offer literacy programs.

“Personally, I am trying not to overdo it,” Capaldi said. “I could easily spend 20 hours a day here. I have a bad habit of overextending myself and an unwillingness to say ‘no.’ I am making sure to keep doing other things I love — choreographing, reading for fun, and making home cooked meals every night.”

Community members have demonstrated overwhelming support for the bookstore, which has further bolstered Capaldi’s commitment to serving everyone’s needs.

“The folks here trust Jeanne and she made it well known that she would not sell the store to someone who did not understand what she was taking on and how important it was to keep the bookstore going and growing for decades to come,” Capaldi said, adding that sometime in the future she hopes to move into a larger space.

“More than anything, I look forward to making this tiny store the beating heart of downtown Harbor Springs. I want to hear conversation about books across the aisles, between men and women, old and young, readers and non-readers. Independent bookstores are so necessary,” Capaldi said. “I plan to prove just that.”

Stefani Beddingfield

Stefani Beddingfield was a regular customer of Inkwood Books in Tampa, Florida, before purchasing the store from Carla Jimenez and Leslie Reiner on April 1.

Beddingfield, who previously ran Freedom Playground Foundation, a local nonprofit, began discussing the possibility of purchasing the store with Jimenez and Reiner in August, and they recommended that she attend a Paz & Associates “Opening a Bookstore” workshop. “I learned a ton,” said Beddingfield, “and that solidified my decision. I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t making a decision based on the romantic idea of owning a bookstore. I wanted to really do my homework.”

Attending February’s Winter Institute was also crucial to Beddingfield’s preparation, as it allowed her to ask questions and get a better sense of the business aspects of running a bookstore from other booksellers. Now, she is learning the nuances of the business, such as deciding what to order, dealing different publisher accounts, picking returns, and placing special orders.

Beddingfield doesn’t plan to change much about Inkwood’s inventory. In terms of events, she hopes to introduce more family-focused activities, such as cooking events with chefs whose cookbooks are sold in the store.

The community’s reaction to the change has been very positive, said Beddingfield. “I feel very grateful to everyone. They all seem thankful that I will be carrying on what Carla and Leslie have started.”

Dana Schulz and Ray Nurmi

April 1 was also the day that Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan, was sold to longtime staff member Dana Schulz. As Ray Nurmi—the store’s owner for the last 29 years—began talking about retirement, he gradually started preparing Schulz to take over the business. Over the past couple of years, Schulz has been taking on more and more responsibilities so the store’s staff and customers were able to ease into the transition slowly.

“Ray has been so gracious with his knowledge,” said Schulz, “letting me make decisions and talking through all the ramifications, and even letting me make some mistakes on my own.”

In addition to having Nurmi’s training, Schulz has attended a number of regional shows, where she was able to talk to her peers informally and during roundtable discussions.

Schulz is not planning to change much about the store’s day-to-day operations. “I don’t feel like anything needs fixing,” she said. “I’m just looking forward to seeing if we can make this thing grow, and keep it going.”

The community’s response has been “overwhelming,” said Schulz. She has received flowers and letters at the store and customers have been stopping by to say congratulations or give her a hug.

“All of that has been really encouraging and hopeful,” Schulz said. “It makes me realize this is going to work.”