It is a truth universally acknowledged, that all women in possession of a Pinterest account, must also be in possession of a secret ~*~ The Dream ~*~ wedding pin board.
Like most universally acknowledged truths, this is wrong.
My ~*~ The Dream ~*~ is owning a bookstore (as is the dream of most book lovers). It’s 99.99% not likely to happen, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally have fantasies of abandoning it all, selling everything I own, and somehow making it work.
A few years ago, that dream became a little less of a dream and more of a burning obsession when my favorite bookstore (after over 50 years in business) shut down. I was determined to buy and re-open it. I even googled “how to write a business plan” and wrote at least three or four sentences of one. Mostly, however, I dreamed of how I would make this bookstore special.
Today, I thought I’d share some of my ideas with you.
My Only-The-Fun-Bits Business Plan
I’m pretty sure my beloved bookstore closed because after a change in ownership and a few rocky years, it stopped curating its books as carefully, and instead started stuffing every available square inch full of anything and everything. In the past it’d been a place of discovery, where I’d find new authors and series to obsess over. During the last years, I would go into the bookshop and not find newly-released bestsellers, but only book #2 in a series that was gearing up to release book #4—allowing me to neither start nor finish the series. I would come in determined to make a purchase, but I left without buying anything more often than not.
I also know that because of Amazon, the #1 thing a physical bookstore has to offer is experience, whether it’s an Instagram-able interior, author events, a cafe section, or other events (reading groups, workshops, puppet storytelling hour, etc.)
So here’s my—and remember, I’m a person with no business expertise or experience whatsoever—business plan:
A Carefully Curated Collection of Children’s Books
The famous four C’s of business. I know and love (and have a master’s degree in) children’s literature. Although I love many categories and genres, this is the fiction category I would feel most confidant curating. I would have sections for classics, picture books, young readers, middle grade, and YA and special displays for holidays/seasons, highlights on diverse, LGBT+, and local fiction, and rotating topics like: “Haunted Castles,” “Secret Passageways,” “I Wish it Was Christmas Today,” and “Kid Detectives.”
Some other possible display topics:
All Adults Stink: A Theory
Other People’s Diaries You’re Actually Allowed to Read
I Can’t Convince My Parents to Get Me a Dog, But I Can Read This Book and Pretend
How to Run Away from Home and Live in a Place that Starts with an M (Mountains, Movie Theaters, Museums, and More)
Oh No! I Just Found Out I Have Magic Powers!
Kids Existed Back Then Too (Historical Fiction)
Stories That Go Bump in the Night
Around the World in 80 Books (or Less)
Taming Wild Animals: Don’t Try This at Home
Siblings Suck and Other Well-Known Facts
The way I’d prioritize which books to carry would not be to focus on new releases, but on backlist best-sellers. The moment a child ages into a category all of the books in that category are new to them, so that fact that a book came out in 2020 versus 1990 is simply less relevant than it would be for an adult who has been reading in a genre for a while. Children also go through books much more quickly than adults, while also aging through a category during a relatively short span of an author’s career. With limited room on shelves, I would prioritize carrying a selection of the backlist of best-selling/favorite authors over using that space for a wide range of new releases, so that once a child discovers a love for a particular author or series, they’re able to dive into them. (New releases would of course be included, just more selectively than in Barnes & Noble.)
I would also check with nearby schools, so I could stock their reading lists.
Coffee & Steamed Milk
I think cafes are great in small bookstores, because even if I don’t end up buying a book that day, I can at least support the business by buying a latte. They provide an extra reason to walk into the store in the first place, and an extra reason to linger. My “cafe” would cater to parents and teens as well as younger children. Because I’m imagining this bookstore being located in a shotgun house, it would be located either behind the sales counter or in a small room off the porch, where purchases could be made both inside and outside the bookstore. It would consist of an espresso machine, an electric kettle, a selection of syrups and teas, a couple of bistro tables, and a few cloches of small treats such as cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.
An Adult & Teen Drink Menu
For adults and teens, we’d offer a selection of espresso drinks (lattes and cappuccinos, both hot and iced) and both iced and hot teas (green, breakfast, earl grey, jasmine).
Syrups
Caramel, Vanilla, Hazelnut, Peppermint, Chocolate Sauce, Pumpkin Spice, Lavender
Specialty Tea Drinks
Paddington’s London Fog Latte
Earl Grey Tea + Steamed Milk + Vanilla Syrup + Lavender Syrup
Anne of Green Tea Lattes
Matcha Tea + Steamed Milk
Breakfast Tea at Hagrid’s
English Breakfast Tea + Steamed Milk + Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Specialty Coffee Drinks
Butterbeer Latte
Espresso + Steamed Milk + Butterscotch Syrup + Caramel Syrup
Miss Lavender Latte
Espresso + Steamed Milk + Lavender Syrup + Honey
The White Witch Latte
Espresso + Steamed Milk + White Chocolate + Vanilla + Peppermint
A Kid’s Drink Menu
For younger readers, we’d offer coffee-free lattes as well as Pumpkin Juice (a mixture of orange juice, cranberry juice, pumpkin spice syrup, and pumpkin puree) and lemonade. The milk would be steamed to child-safe levels only (130 degrees), allowing children to enjoy the drink instantly, without fear of a burnt tongue.
Specialty Steamed Milk Lattes
Butterbeer
Steamed Milk + Butterscotch Syrup + Caramel Syrup
Pooh Bear’s Honey Milk
Steamed Milk + Vanilla Syrup + Honey
Charlie and the Chocolate Milk
Steamed Milk + Chocolate Sauce + Hazelnut Syrup + Whipped Cream
The White Witch Wonder
Steamed Milk + White Chocolate + Vanilla + Peppermint + Whipped Cream
Hagrid’s Pumpkin Drink
Steamed Milk + Pumpkin Spice Syrup + Hazelnut Syrup
On Mondays, free coffee would be offered. (non-latte—pour-over or french press)
On Tuesdays, free breakfast and green tea would be offered. (non-latte)
The Traveling Bookstore
This idea is a little out-there, but I was thinking—what could a bookstore do to compete with Amazon’s two-day delivery? How about bringing an entire bookstore to you? The traveling bookstore would be located in a small van or converted school bus. It would have shelves attached to its walls and a reading area with a rug, armchair, and lamp towards the back. The three largest shelves would be for Best-Sellers, Classics, and Staff Recommendations, with a rotating collection of other themed-shelves. The bus would also have a free coffee/tea area with a single-serving coffee/tea maker.
The traveling bookstore would park at farmer’s markets/community events and on busy shopping streets during holiday shopping seasons/various weekends. It would also be available (and marketed) for school fairs. As a special promotion, there would be days when customers (previous purchase necessary) would be allowed to sign up for a time slot for it to be driven to their house, so they could browse for a book in their driveway.
Evenings at the Bookstore
Monday
Adult Book Club / Adult Writing Workshop
(Alternating Weeks)
A book club for adults who enjoy reading children’s books. Because books are for everyone and children’s books deserve critical discussion as much as any other category. Wine will be served.
A writing workshop for adults who want to write for children (Picture Book to Young Adult). The workshop will focus on elements of craft, as well as publication and the career of being an author. An example of already accessible workshop lesson from yours truly can be found: here. There will be special visits from people from the publishing industry—authors, agents, editors, etc— when possible. Following the lesson/visit, there would be a critique of 3-4 pieces of work.
The adult workshop would have a small fee attached—$10 per session, with the aim of helping to pay for: special visits both for the adult workshops and children’s workshops, as well as supplies for children’s workshops.
Tuesday
Teen Book Club
A book club for 14-17 year olds with a focus on discussing YA novels with a focus on helping teens make deeper connections with the books they read, helping them figure out how to approach the media they love with a critical eye, and giving them a place to have open and free discussions about the things that matter to them. Every other week will be a “Personal Recommendation” week, to give teens time to read the Book Club Pick, while also giving them a platform to discuss and share other books they’re enjoying.
Wednesday
Tween Book Club
A book club for 9-13 year olds discussing Middle Grade novels, with a focus on the basics of how to discuss books and literature beyond good/bad and like/dislike, as well as celebrating shared interests and a love of reading with like-minded peers. It will also emphasize exploring the ideas/themes the books present, as well as making a larger effort to present the context, inspirations, and history surrounding the books more than the clubs for older readers.
Thursday
Teen Writing Workshop
The teen writing workshop would be for 14-19 year olds. The workshops would begin with a 20 minute lesson, sometimes given by me, sometimes given by special guests, and sometimes given by the teens themselves (should they have anything to share). The lessons would range from basic craft lessons, to analyses of published fiction, to explanations of various publishing jobs. The remainder of the workshop would be a critique of 2-3 pieces of writing submitted by the group.
Friday
Tween Writing Workshop
The tween writing workshop would be for 9-13 year olds. These workshops would have less of a focus on formal craft lessons, and a larger focus on creative exploration and encouragement.
Each workshop would begin with a lesson folded into a writing prompt. For example, a lesson on writing characters would be folded into a prompt about writing a scene about a favorite fictional character facing their worst fear. You can’t use their name or the name of anything else in the book, but must use their voice and other identifying aspects of their personality to make them recognizable. We would discuss some examples before the students were given time to write. Then, students would read their work and everyone would try to guess the characters. Other lessons might be simpler—a Halloween-time prompt like “write something spooky.”
At the end of the workshop, students would be encouraged to read aloud 1-3 pages of outside writing they were doing. There would be no critique, but applause, a thank you to the student for being brave enough to share their work, and positive reinforcement in the form of a small question and answer session (led by me) about their inspiration, where the story was going, what they enjoyed writing about, what they were struggling with, etc.
Weekend
Weekends at the bookstore would feature a wide, rotating selection of events. These would include, but not be limited to: author visits, private parties, open mic nights, NaNoWriMo write-ins, book-inspired cosplay/costume contests, paper craft events, and more.
Decor
In a bookshop, most of the wall space is covered by books, so barring a few fun things (an occasional book nook insert, or a fun framed bookcase or a travel poster for a fictional location on a rare bit of wall), the main area of decoration will be the ceiling. There are a number of creative ways to decorate the ceiling, from “floating” candles, to flying books, simply to a starry “sky” and some clouds, but all will help create a magical, whimsical atmosphere. Another object of both decoration-al and functional importance is the comfortable, cozy-looking reading chair. And a rug. With floor poufs. For storytelling hours.
In the current climate, there’s not much to do but dream. This is (one) of mine. What’s yours?
Otherwise, let me know more fun book-based names for coffee drinks! I… struggle there.
x Julia