links

Didn't realize that Indiebound had such a presence within the ABA. Looks like the ABA has a lot of help available (suggestions, links) once you're up and running.

r

Update Again

I'm mucking about in web site building jargon this week.

I think ABA will allow you to create your own web site and then upload inventory or you can use one of their designs. What I would like to know is if Cracked Book started with ABA inventory as a website only? And then decided to open a store? Can you sell rare/antiquarian/first editions and gently used/new books plus ABA inventory? Do you have to have website and store?

If you have time, can you poke around the ABA web site and figure out what all they offer? I'll read through it also.

http://www.bookweb.org/index.html

Thanks

J

re:update

Thanks for the info. Let me know when you want to check out Fountain--I assume they are closed in the evening. Great find with Indiebound, might be helpful down the road.
Is there anything I can help you with at this point?

r

Update

Here's an interesting web site for small business: http://stauntonfund.com/default.aspx . This is a local organization -- Staunton, VA.

The domain name was only $16.00. Woo-Hoo !! I'm looking at Laughing Squid for hosting. They are only $9 per month !!

I think we should check out Fountain Books in Shockoe Bottom. They were mentioned on Indiebound.org . I also found out that ABA can set you up with a web site and inventory. I believe that's how the Cracked Book works. Of course, there is the $395 fee to join ABA plus you have to show that you can actually sell books...

J

friday

URL name is fine. I'll be happy to reimburse you for 1/2 the fee or pay it so we can get started.

r

Saturday

Working Saturday 1/24. I've got a possible Web Hosting lead that only costs $9 per month.

A domain name, our url, is usually about $19 per year. I'm thinking of www.boundlessbardbooksellers.com . Is this OK? This amount needs to be paid before we can use the domain name.

I'm also checking on business's for sale based on the link you sent me. Not much locally.

I will call or email.

J

monday 1/19

Thanks for the work on e-bay

still getting phone calls about books

off tomorrow, can run books over to storage unit if you'd like


r

Ebay

No store yet --- still working on that -- but we do have a username and password. Check your Yahoo email.

J

site

http://www.businessbroker.net/

response

Not sure if I agree with you on our "niche"--still think we need to consider breaking new ground. I too see his point about Southside--not saying that the sophicated and educated do not reside on this side of the river, but I do believe that the sophisticated and educated (wherever they live) might still shop for books in locales closer to colleges, office parks or more trendy urban areas.--just a hunch. OP money, where? From Who? At this point though, focus on the site.

With the boyz in the early a.m., would like to meet later. give me a call

-r

Thoughts

I've had the same thoughts. I don't want to be a garage sale or bargain bin bookseller (you are what you eat as they say). I think we should search for and purchase only the best quality used and rare books --- and I'm not against selling new books, maybe put up a professional site and then dig deep into the world of "professional" booksellers. I think somwhere between the Black Swan and The Cracked Book is our niche.

I spoke with the former owner of TCV today -- he has a cube next to mine -- he revamped a bankrupt company and made it profitable. He had several pieces of advice: 1) your "footprint" is important. He thought serving the community was important but no to sure if Southside was a good location 2) look for a bookstore going out of business...this may take a while...but there is already an established customer base 3) For money. He believes in OPM - Other People's Money, ie applying for credit and loans to pay for operating costs 4) the web site is a good idea.

J

before we buy

Not really having second thoughts, just reconsidering the buying of books. Before we burn gas and time we need to decide what we are going to buy and why. Why spend money just to toss the books into a tub? If we buy, when we buy, they need to be books that we know we can sell on the internet. I'll hang onto these numbers for re-contact later.
Questions we should be asking:
How old are the books we are looking for?
Can we sell (is it worth our time) to try and sell these on the WEB?
If we don't sell the books what are we going to do with them?
Does it sound like the trip to bumf--- Va. is worth it or are these folks just looking for someone to haul away their trash?
Right now I think we should focus on building a WEB presence, generating fundage from sales and take it from there. We can always advertise locally again, next time we just need to specify what we are looking for
I do think that hardback or trade paperback editions will sell better on the WEB. Otherwise we're essentially a GoodWill or BookExchange.

Still need to get together on Saturday.

1/13-2

Got a call from a lady with some "old" books, she mentioned a leatherbound Mark Twain and another with a copyright of 1906. Told her we might come out and take a look. Also told her that we would take an inventory of what we wanted, check the value current pricing through say ABE and make her an offer. I did tell her that we are booksellers and our offer will be based on what we can re-sell the book for. She was o.k. with that.

let me know

r

tuesday 1/13-1

Sounds like this other site might be a good investment--sounds like it can be expanded as we grow or as needed. Can start trolling the want ads for used digital cameras, don't know much about them. Might have what we need for a reasonable price at Walmart?

r

Another Site

And at this point I'm not convinced the Vista print site is worth my energy. They have yet to respond to my email. I'm looking at sitecube.com now. It's more expensive but the choice of content is vast. They are $24 per month with space for 240 products ( I think we'll need to invest in a used digital camera so we can upload pics). How do you feel about writing some blurbs for each book?

I'm going to clean out some bookcases this week. I've got some old/rare books that are gathering dust here. I think they should be added to the inventory.

J

tech stuff

I read through some of the e-mails regarding the tech stuff your working on for the business. Thanks for taking the time (and having the patience) to sift through all of that sh--,I mean stuff.

r

this week

Saturday should be ok. Boys do have another bball thing, but its earlier--michelle hinted that she might take them, but either way i'll set aside time. I'm off tomorrow and Thursday. Will try to complete the list of all of mom's (saleable) stuff and more or less categorize it.

I'm off to Frank's Webelos meeting at Alberta Smith

it is time to just "do it"

talk to u soon

r

BS

I think I finally figured out what I do not like about the BS. It is too clean, antiseptic and sterile. Ok, kind of an odd description for an old building with concrete floors. What I didn't see was dust, stacks of books askew and an old cat lazily stretching in the window. No character. Almost too "old book store". Does that make sense?

We can't buy any books without a slush fund. Can I suggest we spend some time this coming Saturday doing so actually planning? We have seen a variety of stores. Also, we should go through the inventory. I'd like to get a total on the number of books we have - rare, used and first editions.

J

what the f---?

Today I actually saw a (new) paintball supply store. Goes to show that people caught up in a passion will do whatever it takes to sell that passion to other people and in some cases are able to convince a bank or financier that there really is a market for the goods and/or services they propose to sell. (Maybe they put the whole enchilada out there and used their own money?)

I wonder which came first? The book or the paintball?:)

r

From "Book Business" (2001)

"The feel of a book taken from the shelf and held in the hand is a magical experience, linking writer to reader. But to compete with the World Wide Web, bookstores of the future will be different from the mass-oriented superstores that now dominate the retail marketplace. Tormorrow's stores will have to be what the Web cannot be: tangible, intimate, and local; communal shrines, perhaps with coffe bars offering pleasure and wisdom in the company of others who share one's interests, where the book one wants can always be found and surprises and temptations spring from every shelf." p. 38.

sound familiar?

r

phone contact

Looking to sell. Hardbacks, paper backs, "books they received as gifts over the years" Mentioned Tom Clancy, sets of Louis L'AMour, Zane Grey. Told them I would get with my partner and if we're interested we'd call them back.


r

re: craig's list

I guess you could take a few of the title's he's got and key them into ABE to see if the prices are realistic

Also: Got a call from our ad in the Chesterfield Currier, Chronicle, Gazette, whichever!

r

saturday

I'll give you a call when we're back from b-ball.

I changed the books we'll bring. All are firsts, but a variety of values

see you

r

Books for Sale - Locally

I spent a few minutes on Craigslist today. Here's a partial list of what I found:

Jan 7 - VINTAGE ANTIQUE Hardback Books - Prices Vary - LOT "E" - (West End - RICHMOND 23226) pic <<general
Jan 7 - VINTAGE RARE Books - Perfect for Home Library - Various Prices LOT "D" - (West End - RICHMOND 23226) pic <<books & magazines
Jan 7 - COLLECTIBLE RARE Vintage Books - Prices Vary - LOT "C" - (West End - RICHMOND 23226) pic <<collectibles
Jan 7 - ANTIQUE BOOK Assortment - Check It Out - LOT "B" - (West End - RICHMOND 23226) pic <<general
Jan 7 - RARE Collectable Hardback BOOKS - Various Prices - LOT "A" - (West End - RICHMOND 23226) pic <<books & magazines

BS Part 3

Two should be OK. I'll call if it is not. If you want to poke around Indiebound.org, login is as BBB and then same password for Boundless Bard yahoo email account. I'm still waiting on update about Affiliate Program.

J

4 books

Grabbed 3 wyeth editions (top price was $68.00 for Last of Mohawks)
and edition of Robin Hood (top price $35)

we'll see

L8r

r

saturday

Afternoon would be better, say 2p? Mike has a b-ball clinic at 11:45

I'll grab 3 books (will get a guesstimate from ABE)

r

BS

So far Saturday morning is the best time for Black Swan. Can you pick a few books (or three)? Why might as well find out now what we have. Call or blog about a time, etc.

Thanks
J

response to stuff

Spoke to glad as well, glad he's doing better.

I "joined" Freecycle


The Indiebound deal might be a way to get our name out there, just need to be able to deliver if we get a hit.

Will go through mom's stuff and "price" a few books through ABE, before we hit Black Swan.

r

Stuff

I'm following up on a couple of book related leads. 1) IndieBound books has an affiliate program. From what I understand, you place a link on your web site to the Indie Bound site:

"Connect your site to a huge network of indie bookstore websites. Link to specific books or indie bookstores on your site through IndieBound. There are lots of ways to do it: Become an IndieBound Affiliate. Link to books for sale at independent bookstore websites, and earn a little money along the way. You can learn more and get started here: http://www.indiebound.org/affiliate."

I've not determined if say your web site sells books, can you link to IndieBound?

2) Freecycle...need I say more? Yes? Ok. It's network or community of people in your area that, instead of donating or selling their junk want to give it away. The web site is: http://www.freecycle.org/ Worth a shot for free books? Not sure. I think it's worth a try.

Re: Dad. He says he feels better. He actually ate several meals today.

J

you've got to believe

Your visions sounds great. may be a ways off, but it can happen. But we also have to be different-not a repeat or an imitation. look for what is lacking and make sure those things will be in the store. It seems to me that the internet and its one -stop shopping has put a dent in the corner book store's business. so if you were to open brick and mortar what would make your store different? why would people want to actually physically shop in your store vs. ordering it on line. For all we know both Narnia and The Black Swan are run by folks who don't need the store for their livelihood--maybe they hit the lottery or this is what they did with some savings? I mean I enjoyed the ambiance of The Black Swan but after seeing the store I can't imagine why I would frequent the store on a regular basis--that's the kind of business you want--repeat customers, book lovers--maybe if The Black Swan was in a better location. I doubt you have many "browsers" in that store. Unless you want to touch your purchase before you buy, I can't see why you would (physically) shop at the Black Swan. The only folks who might visit that type of store on a regular would be collectors or sellers of old books. You want a store that will generate a repeat business. You can have your on-line business as well. To be honest with you I could not sit in a store all day hoping that I might have a customer or hoping for that one big sale. Even with the on-line you are still waiting in the hopes that someone will buy. You have to make them want to return, dazzle them with what you've got going on so that they'll come back and they'll tell their friends about the cool book store thats all about reading and books and learning... and they even have a good cup of coffee and they carry that out of town newspaper that I can't find anywhere else.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." W. Churchill

r

Bookstore Ideas

I spoke with Dad. He's really not feeling well. I told him I'd call him back tomorrow evening. He should probably call his doctor if this goes on much longer.

From our conversation earlier this evening it sounded like the Black Swan would be your choice for the favorite bookstore visit today. I'd like to check it out also. It sounds like they are more of a storefront for an online business vs an actual store like we invision (well, we are still not sure what that vision is, I know). A cavernous barn with second story lofts? A dark hole lit only by Banker lamps?

I picture lots of wood bookcases, natural lighting, chairs and tables for classes, training, discussions along side nooks and crannies for small groups, quiet reading....and flat screen terminals accessible by anyone that wants to check out Google, or Abebooks or CNN.

Yeah, right.

J

tuesday travels

Narnia, Crooks and Creatures, Black Swan:

None of the operations have a strong street presence or a location conducive to a walk-in business.
Black Swan clearly the best store layout of the three
All must derive most of their income from an on-line business
We should have no fears about opening a store that caters primarily to young readers-Narnia which is the closest to a children's books store is about the size of your living room-maybe a little bigger.
Creatures and Crooks--jammed into a corner of the Cary Court Shopping center, parking sucks, store pretty much thrown together.
Both Narnia and C and C appear to be selling at full retail.
Black Swan, which you should see, carries the closest to the types of books in mom's collection, spoke with the dude that puts thier items on line-say they use ABEbooks for pricing-even walked me over to the computer for a demo! We can bring items in and Mike or Nick will give a price with no obligation. The dude said to call ahead if your bringing in something to sell, make sure Mike or Nick will be there

Give me a call and we can talk more about my travels

no

r

Cards

I'll place some in our mailbox. I think our mailman delivers around 1:00, so you'll need to get the cards before then.

I loaded yahoo messenger a while ago but never use it. I have it turned on when the laptop is on. Do you guys use it?

J

response

I'll swing by your house tomorrow a.m. Go ahead and leave a slab of cards.

Your poem creates quite an image- reminds me of last December and what it must be like in that house right now.

Typing some of our titles into ABEBooks, just see price ranges--same book/year, prices vary based on condition, whether it has a dust jacket, etc.

a couple of examples: James Boyd's "Drum", 1928 $5 to $1500
Jussrand's "Piers Plowman" 1894, $50-$468.93
Mary Dodge's "Hans Brinker"1935, $7-$127.25

Going to check out Narnia, Creatures and Crooks, and Black Swan tomorrow (no transactions)

Business Cards and Stuff

Business cards have arrived. I can leave a slab of them out for you -- like in our mailbox -- if you want me to. You'll need to pick them up before noon.

That's all moot if I don't see a reply from you or hear from you before I go to work tomorrow...The logo is free. There is no option to configure or design a logo unless you pay. With a free logo you can only pick the font and the color...I can't locate the 800# info that was on the Vista Print site. I'll keep looking.

Random stuff. Here's a poem I wrote about a year ago:

The House

Growing old
Means filling up a bag of bones
And pointy shoulders aimed at the ceiling
As your blind eye does not see the outside world.

-----------------

Careful, then, the old man is awake
Watch as he pads through your rooms
Looking for his glasses and pipe
See him trip over the cat's tail
And curse his arthritis
As he climbs down the stairs.

Another day within your walls
And passing by inside your windows
(he does not see the outside word, does he?)
To spend a quiet afternoon as your warm air
Blankets him during quiet time on the couch.

Maybe a fire in the fireplace tonight?
Or the sad shadows of a few candles at dinner?
Or a little lullaby of some forgotten tune
And notes to fill each room?

House, take another minute then
The shades are drawn
Your're getting sleepy
And remember her
The lady of you
As she crosses your wooden floors
Barefoot and all.

Slowly
Your bones creaking
She lays down, bades the old man to cover her
In one of your white sheets
Dead in your living room forever.

(from Memories From A Future Day, Part 1 Copyright Jim Burfoot 2009)

some examples

I went through the ABC sites listing of member stores in search of some examples of what I have in mind, but of course we would add our own twist

(I do not want to get involved in selling toys, clothing, and other "gifty" horsesh--

Children's Book World (L.A)-www.childrensbookworld.com/

Storyville (Alpharetta, GA) www.mystoryville.com/

The Magic Tree (Oak Park, IL) www.magictreebooks.com/store/html.

There were about another half dozen or so, but these three seem to stand out

also found an on-line Children's Bookseller: www.Hicklebees.com

r

logo

I was think of something a little more whimsical. The figure is clearly "bound-ing," but I thought we might want to present an image that represents boundless possiblilties, boundless as in the sense of "use your imagination" or that books can take you wherever you want to go..etc.

I also caught a glance of the business cards, thanks for taking care of that.

I see that you have loaded the inventory, wow. I do still have more to add to that as I work through the rest of mom's stuff.

I'm trying to pull together of this Children and YOung Readers storefront. There really are very few bookstores in this area (2 maybe) and only a few others statewide--I have yet to find any "chains" of children's book stores... more to come

r

Inventory and Vista Print

Thanks for the link and the supporting info. I'm working on uploading the inventory to the site. Please go to http://www.vistaprint.com/ and check out the "see full portfolio" and then logo #1...guy jumping over (sort of) Boundless Bard title.

I've sent you an email with the username and password for the Vista Print account.

J

logo

young elf-type kid (feather in his hat) carrying a book and walking towards the horizon (maybe a sunset)?

follow this lead

still goinfg to follow this vision

check out http://associationofbooksellersforchildren.com/

In Richmond:
Narnia Children's Books
(maybe Creatures and Crooks)

otherwise:
In Fredericksburg: Jabberwock Books (and Toys)(website)
in Alexandria: Aladdin's Lamp Children's Books (no website)--Indiebound member
In D.C.: Fairy Godmother Children's Books( and Toys) (no website)

There is also a chain called Tree Top Kids-7 stores and counting in NOVA-but books are only one part of the business

Tuesday I will visit Narnia, Creatures/Crooks and The Black Swan

we need to put our basketballs on the table and go for something that no one can touch in the area--I will continue to brain storm and try to pull the vison all together. Does not affect our current plans, just thinking about our brick and mortar. take a look at the website above. Right now we're pretty much at the drawing board.

r

black swan

I like the way the BS website can link you to their offerings on e-bay, alilibris, amazon and abebooks. I assume they have to pay some sort of fee for this?

on alilibris they claim to have 12,000 plus items available! That's a lot of tubs of books

talk to you soon

r

Web Site Updates

I've made the corrections/changes from your blog. What about tomorrow morning? I need to locate the Sycamore Square Post Office. Also, it's possible the library book I misplaced may have gotten swooped up in the books I brought back from Dad's house. We should check the inventory. What about 9:00am? I realize you may not see this blog until late tonight so I'll call you at some point today.

J

edits

business plan: under "marketing"--"for customer(s) to sit and read" --need an "s"

under "financial information"==we do not have (a) brick and mortar--need an "a"

response

Business plan very well-written. I do think when you talk about our "classes" or "tutoring" you should specifically mention tutoring for literacy or reading skills, or computer skills. etc.--need to push (and you did include this) our desire to serve and be a "reading, book-lovers, literacy-promoting center of the community"-- we might be able to tap into some funding for providing a locale for community offerings

great job


we need to set up some time when we can sit down and put our goals on paper. you've pulled together a great outline of our plan. now we need to set up steps and deadlines and also begin to rough-out what kind of store we want.
let me know, thanks for giving us a very professional presence on the internet. i think its f------ exciting!!

talk to you soon

remember saturday I'm free until about 2

r

Business Plan

Please check out rough draft of Business Plan:

http://boundlessbardbooks.com/BusinessPlanandAboutUs.html

The Skinny

Operating a small new or used book store is a dream shared by many. What does it take to make this dream come true? Here are some resources to help you find out more about what it takes to start and run a successful book store.

Book Stores have the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code of 451211. The NAICS definition of a book store is "establishments primarily engaged in retailing new books."

Retailing books via electronic home shopping, mail-order, or direct sale, is classified in Subsector 454, Nonstore Retailers.

Retailing used books, is classified in Industry 453310, Used Merchandise Stores (establishments primarily engaged in retailing used merchandise, antiques, and secondhand goods -- except motor vehicles, such as automobiles, RVs, motorcycles, and boats; motor vehicle parts; tires; and mobile homes).