Category: Bookstore

March 6th, 2012

The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On

The now iconic Keep Calm and Carry On poster never used to be that iconic. It was never actually released for the public – a design left in the back room, ready to be launched in the event of invasion.

It was never released. But it was found – in a bookstore in Alnwick, England: Barter Books.

In the end, the poster was never officially issued, and it remained unseen by the public, until a copy turned up more than 50 years later. It was found in a second-hand bookshop called Barter Books in the northeast corner of England.

Barter books was begun in 1991 by a couple: Stuart and Mary Manley. They building used to be an old Victorian railway station. Huge rows of stacked shelves now stand in place where the tracks would have been, but the stations old tea rooms and waiting rooms are still there.

It was in 2000 that Stuart found the poster in a box of dusty old books that had been bought at auction. Mary liked it so much she had it framed and put it up near the shop till, and it proved so popular with the customers that a year later they began to sell copies.

I had the opportunity to visit Barter Books in 2000 while I was visiting Kerrie during her study abroad semester in Alnwick, England. When I envision the perfect bookstore, Barter Books is what comes to mind. To have this story connected to something I hold so dear – and, to be honest, something I still think of as my little secret – is wonderful.

Via Kottke.org.

Category: Books, Bookstore, Travel, Videos

Comments: 1

November 9th, 2006

A dream dashed

It was bound to happen, I suppose.

From The Onion:

Area Man Achieves Your Dream
November 7, 2006

CHARLOTTE, NC—After almost two decades of dreaming on your part, 34-year-old Stephen Hochenko achieved your goal of opening up a small bookstore and café last Thursday, coincidentally in the exact location you had planned to open yours.

“This proves that no matter what your dreams are, someone out there can achieve them if they just do a little homework, save their money, and believe in themselves,” said a satisfied Hochenko as he arranged tables and chairs for a Monday night wine tasting and reading featuring acclaimed author Neil Gaiman. “I’m happier than you can even imagine or will probably ever experience yourself.”

Hochenko joins a long list of people who have achieved your dreams, including the creators of YouTube, Grand Prix motorcycle-racer Valentino Rossi, and the people who married your longtime crush and potential soul mate in April 1998, June 2001, and last Saturday.

Oh well. I guess this leaves me with more time to do productive things, like create yard signs for media sellers.

Category: Bookstore

Comments: 1

December 22nd, 2005

Taking the plunge, soon

Okay.

Months ago I mentioned half-heartedly that I wanted to start a small business – my own independent bookstore. I thought about long and hard about it, blogged about it, and then promptly forgot about it.

Well, to be fair to myself, I didn’t forget about it. Still, I did nothing to further my plans. I mentioned it every once in a while, saying things like “well, when I open my bookstore…” but never actually made inquiries of research.

Now, thanks to a gentle shove from Kerrie (who, understandably, was tired of hearing “well, when I open my bookstore…” without any further perusal) and a recent stalling of my journalism career and lack of money in the blogging field, I’ve decided to take the plunge.

I’ve gotten the materials that I need and have started a notebook with my contacts, ideas, and expectations.

I’m a little scared about going forward, but I know this is something I can do. I’ve got the experience in management and in retail, and watched enough horrible business owners mess up and stay in business to know that I can learn from their mistakes and be even more successful.

The book business is not easy, I know. There’s a lot of money involved in starting up something like this, and with the perceived low literacy levels (as in “lack of interest” and not “lack of ability”) in Sioux Falls it could prove to be disastrous.

But you know what? I’ll never know until I try.

If anything, that’s the most important thing I’ve learned in the past year. I’ll never know what could have been unless I try. I’ll never gain if I don’t take necessary risks. I know I can run a business, I know I can successfully promote a business; I know I can sell at a retail level, manage at a retail level, and be a fair and understanding owner and boss. If the only thing holding me back is the money, then what the hell am I waiting for?

So, with this, you’ll notice a new subject popping up from time to time on this here blog – The creation of a bookstore. I feel like Todd Epp (SD Watch) with my numerous blog topics – writing, books, the Pacers, and now small business news.

Hopefully, in a few years, I’ll be making money off of one of these subjects.

Category: Bookstore, Career

Comments: 4

May 24th, 2005

Books for sale

I’ve had these revelations lately that I need to become some sort of small business entrepreneur. It’s not a new idea, but it’s certainly never been this strong, this persistent. This time it’s a book store – a real independent book store that, in my mind, will grow exponentially until it’s bigger than Powell’s, bigger than Barnes and Noble, and, of course, no longer be independent.

I’m not so sure how possible it is. I’ve always been afraid of failing, as many people are, and I’d be horribly anxious about how things would turn out. I’d micromanage too much. I’d worry for weeks about the smallest problems, and I’d end up being a complete burden on anyone who worked for me.

My idea isn’t original – there are at least ten people in every city who think about opening an independent bookstore. I don’t have any breakthrough suggestions, nothing that would separate my bookstore from any other, but I’d love to give it a shot.

How hard would that be though? A first time business owner who would overreact to every bump and who was afraid of failure? Someone who freaks out when their lawn has yellow spots after only one week of summer?

Kerrie and I have talked about this before, except with a different idea. Our concept, dreamed up at the Crocodile in Seattle, was to move into a two level building in some downtown city, living in the loft upstairs while we ran a vegetarian restaurant/bar on the first level — C & K’s Pub-O-Rama. We drew up the plan on a napkin and everything:

Pub O Rama

It was a grand dream, but impossible to do without a large lump of capital and the right location. Of course, I’d be too afraid to do it anyway.

However, I’m warming more and more to the idea of finally taking some sort of chance with my life – to get the money together and rent out a space downtown where I could sell books.

If I failed, I would at least be able to say “yes, I owned a bookstore once.”

Category: Bookstore

Comments: 4