How to Open a Neighborhood Bookstore
Even though we spend more time staring at screens and shopping more on Amazon, book sales in independent bookstores are actually growing . Writer Emma Fusco-Straub and her husband Mike opened Books Are Magic in Cobble Hill in 2017 and have attracted customers every day ever since, with a charming nursery in the back, a stylish and trendy adult collection in front, and nightly readings. signing and other events. In the video above, we talk to Emma about how to make the local bookstore a gathering place for the community.
When she founded Books Is Magic, Emma was already working as a writer, teacher and bookseller, so she was familiar with the many parts of the literary world that come together in the bookstore and had a lot of support from all sides. book industry. She and Mike had to learn how to conserve energy to run the store from morning to night, and how to support that by raising the kids and pursuing Emma’s writing career.
Disclosure: Through deeply connected New York publishing circles, Emma and Mike are friends with interviewer Nick Douglas (and even hired the same carpenter to make their own bookshelves ). This video was hosted by Lifehacker video producer Abu Zafar.