The Worths Build a Business: River Reader Books

This past June, when Patricia Worth, and her husband, Gary, who works as a graphic designer, opened River Reader Books in Lexington, Missouri, Patricia left a 16-year career as a contractor to become a full-time bookseller, and, since the new bookstore has a cafe, a barista, too. "No sense in learning one new trade when you can learn three or four," she joked.

The Worths were motivated to open the store by their great love of reading, but another impetus came from the surrounding community, whose closest bookstore was about 45 minutes away from Lexington.

Situated on the Missouri River, Lexington has a population of about 6,000, and is known for its antique stores, as well as for being the site of a Civil War battle and a stop on Lewis and Clark's journey across America. The Worths, however, looked to complete the Main Street picture. "A bookstore was a natural fit for a rural community," said Patricia Worth. "There was a need for a bookstore, which we decided to fill rather than open another antique shop. Instead of competing, we decided to complement [other local businesses]."

River Reader Books, which is in an 1886 Victorian building, currently fills 2,000 square feet of selling space with 4,000 titles. Within the store, the cafe offers espresso- and milk-based drinks, brownies, and cookies. The store devotes one wall to local artists, whose work the Worths sell on consignment, and it is also home to "Cowbell," a hot pink cow from the Kansas City Cow Parade, which now gazes out the front window onto Main Street.

The fledgling bookstore is doing well, Patricia Worth reported, and the community is thrilled to have River Reader. Though, she conceded, she and Gary initially had to contend with a steep learning curve.

Just prior to River Reader's opening, the Worths, without the benefit of attending a booksellers school or having had any previous bookselling experience, "downloaded the BookLog CD and the next day we were selling books," said Gary. "We opened the door and were immediately inundated with people and business. We were trying to learn how to be booksellers, and there were all these pesky people trying to buy stuff."

To compound their difficulties, the Worths had a cafe to run. Patricia, who manages 90 percent of the operations of the store, had to learn how to make a "half caf, half decaf skinny double mocha latte with raspberry," said Gary Worth. The coffee business, intended to augment book sales quickly became 25 to 30 percent of the business. And the couple is running everything on their own. When asked about the size of their staff, Patricia said, "There's one. Me. Unless Gary's here. Then it doubles in size."

The Worths did have the advice of other booksellers, which they gleaned from the Booksellers Forum on ABA's BookWeb.org Idea Exchange (www.bookweb.org/ideaexchange/), where Patricia found useful information on topics such as selling near the cashwrap, damaged shipments, and Book Sense, which ultimately prompted her to become a Book Sense member bookstore.

Patricia Worth also mentioned that Jane Hooper of Sherlock's Home, a mystery bookstore in Liberty, Missouri, was "very kind" and spent an afternoon with her and Gary. "She talked to us about start-up information and explained that we should start small and not overload with inventory," said Patricia. "She told us to allow the customers to drive the store. We were [selecting] inventory at that time, and it was the most helpful comment."

The Book Sense program also works well for the new booksellers. "The Book Sense Picks are our main tool for setting up displays and helping with recommendations," Worth said. She also uses the "Book Sense Best Books of the First Five Years" fliers to help guide her ordering. For the Book Sense displays, Patricia props titles on an antique desk and library table. "I separate the fiction and nonfiction and also have a Best Books display that I rotate."

Nearly all her waking hours are spent running River Reader, but Patricia didn't hesitate to state, "I. Love. Bookselling. I like getting to know people and what they're interested in. And I like to know what I've made at the end of the day. In construction, you have to wait 60 - 90 days for your money."

Though the couple may be "running on adrenaline" and little sleep after tending to a busy new business, that doesn't keep them from planning extensively for the future. "We hope to open the lower level of our building and gain 1,700 square feet of selling space," said Patricia Worth. We'd like to stay open evenings to help with local events, increase our author signings and children's reading hours, and we want to install Wi-Fi. I hope we grow into a useful community facility. Since we're a unique store that caters to local residents, I hope we can meet the needs of the people right here in Lexington and Lafayette County." --Karen Schechner