Bookbound preparing to join Ann Arbor's community of independent bookstores
Barnes and Noble may have continued shrinking in the nearly two years since the last Borders closed, but smaller independent bookstores have begun to fill in the void both locally and across the country.
“The America Booksellers Association, the main advocacy body for independent booksellers, has been reporting gains now for two years running,” Peter Blackshear said.
![070313_indie_bookstore_CS.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2013/07/070313_indie_bookstore_CS-thumb-350x233-146525.jpg)
Megan and Peter Blackshear are in the midst of renovating the space that will become Bookbound.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
Blackshear, who worked for Borders for over 20 years and has 12 years experience as a bargain book buyer, will have another gain for the association to report when he and his wife, Megan, open Bookbound on Plymouth Road later this summer.
The store, which will open in late August in the Courtyard Shops, has been in the works for about a year.
“Last summer we started bouncing the idea around about having a bookstore and then in the fall it really changed from a fantasy to ‘maybe we should really do this,’” Megan Blackshear said.
As Megan and Peter took the first steps towards opening their own store, they heard about another couple who were contemplating the same thing. Peter said he and Megan met early on with Hilary Lowe and Mike Gustafson, who were at the time still searching for a location for the recently opened Literati bookstore.
“It was a little frightening thinking that two of us were going to be trying to do this at approximately the same time, but we both came in with a ‘the more the merrier’ attitude about it,” he said.
“It was comforting to think that there had been 40,000-square-foot bookstores in town before, so if they’re going to have a couple thousand square feet and we’re going to have a couple thousand there should be enough business for both of us.”
Lowe said since its opening three months ago business at Literati has been even better than expected.
“We’ve been doing well, and I’m excited that Book Bound is going to be here now too,” she said. “I think it’s going to be great and it will add even more to the book culture we have in Ann Arbor.” Literati and Book Bound join other, more established stores such as Nicola's Books on the west side and Aunt Agatha's downtown.
Similar to Lowe and Gustafson, the Blackshears said that a big part of their business model is the personal connections they will make with their customers.
“Independent bookstores, especially ones where the owner is on the premises, can connect to customers much better than the big stores could,” Peter said.
“It can both personalize the experience and the selection with in the stores. When I was working for Borders I was buying for hundreds of stores and I couldn’t worry about if one store in Jersey had a fan base for this one author. Now as I talk to people who come in I can be attentive to that sort of thing. That really makes a difference.”
Personalizing the selection within the store is neither easy nor cheap, Peter Blackshear said. He estimated that the cost of opening Book Bound will be between $100,000 and $200,000.
“The lions share of the investment is in the books themselves, and even that requires a lot of guesswork,” he said. “When we open we’ll have about 10,000 books in stock.”
Of the thousands of books in the store, Megan said that the two initial “specialty areas” will be bargain books and children’s books.
“The kids' books are really fun to look at and pick out and people like to touch them and see them and give a child a physical gift,” she said. “It’s actually a growing market which is rare in the book business.”
With their focus on owner-customer interaction, Megan said the couple doesn’t plan on hiring many new employees during the store’s first few months of operation.
“At the beginning it will just be Peter and I with a couple of friends doing a shift here and there,” she said.
“We look forward to being able to hire people, but at the beginning it’s a small store so we plan on mostly running it ourselves.”
Book Bound is renovating their space in the Courtyard and is planning on a mid-to-late August opening with a “Grand Opening” tentatively planned for the first week in September. Editor's note: The story and headline have been corrected to note that the name of the store is one word: 'Bookbound,' not 'Book Bound'
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
Comments
Tizz
Mon, Jul 8, 2013 : 12:10 a.m.
I'd be happy to volunteer! I'll stop by when you open.
Wystan Stevens
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 6 p.m.
Foodie01 -- You are right! I just found four of them.
Foodie01
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 4:40 p.m.
There are still several references in the story to Book Bound, two words.
northside
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
The northside has long lacked a bookstore, so I expect they'll do well. Can't wait for it to open!
Nerak
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 12:10 p.m.
While there are many interesting and worthwhile stores and restaurants in the Courtyard Shops, they all suffer from a poor site design and lack of visibility. I don't know which spot these folks are renovating, but I hope they plan on a decent advertizing budget so people can find them. Word of mouth alone won't cut it.
ypsibeer
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
I wish Ypsilanti had a book store.
LA
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.
There is a cute, but funky little used book store on Cross, near the Mexican Restaurant near Eastern. The owner is a nice man who knows his books. Esp fiction.
Jaime Magiera
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 1:47 p.m.
Some friends and I tried just over a decade ago (David's Books & Media). We had a store open for about four years on Michigan Avenue. Regrettably there was just no foot traffic to keep it afloat.
a2xarob
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
This is great news! Welcome to our side of town; I think you will find very eager customers over here.
Jaime Magiera
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 9:11 p.m.
Best of luck to these folks. I will be certain to stop in when they open.
DonBee
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
I am glad there is a bookstore opening on my end of town. I look forward to it. I wish them the best of luck.
Diana Christoff Quinn, ND
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 8:16 p.m.
Congratulations, Megan and Peter! I'm eagerly awaiting the opening of Bookbound. In the meantime, I recommend checking out the store's website http://www.bookboundbookstore.com/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bookboundbookstore. Cheers!
SlothluvsChunk
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 7:37 p.m.
When you're ready, I'd love to pick up a shift! I also own my own business, non-book related, but I couldn't think of a better "side job" than to be able to work in a independent book store. No matter how "great" technology is, nothing beats the smell of a new/old book. I'd be happy to spend my day perusing and helping others find the perfect read..
Ann English
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 12:06 a.m.
With books, you don't need electricity to read them, unless it's dark around you. And even then, a power outage doesn't shut them off, as it can shut down Internet access.
sahm
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 7:28 p.m.
I hope they'll try to sell side-lines, such as toys and crafts for kids. That area has been lacking since White Rabbit/Treetown Toys closed. Very exciting news though!
A2anon
Sun, Jul 7, 2013 : 11:07 a.m.
Ugh, no! I stopped going to Borders with my kids when our attempts to pick out books were thwarted by eye-level toys and junk and product-placement-garbage masquerading as "books."
talker
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 6:43 p.m.
Best wishes for the new store. Focusing on those two categories are more likely to make the store a destination instead of another non-descript store. Getting the word out to nursery and elementary school parents and grandparents will help. I can recall Borders when it was on State Street. Especially I recall walking into the State Street Store when I was pregnant and seeking information about newer delivery methods (using gravity, etc.). The table with maternity books was near the front door. We were new in town and I hadn't chosen an obstetrician. I walked over to two women near that display table and asked if either of them could recommend an obstetrician. Almost in unison, both young women blurted out the same name. I found my obstetrician by going to a bookstore. You can't get that bonus from Amazon. Comparable local advice can be shared about children's events. IMHO, the worst category of the formerly heavily stocked books is the cookbook category. That's something easily accessible on-line and many have donated cookbooks for second hand sales. Children's books and "bargain books" are better categories. I wish you (and the other recently opened bookstore) success.
BikerMatt
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 6:32 p.m.
Which bookstores were 40K sq. ft.? The huge Borders at Waters Place wasn't even 29K counting the back rooms.
free form
Sat, Jul 6, 2013 : 11:57 p.m.
I don't think he meant that there had been ONE bookstore that was 40,000 sq. feet. I assumed he was talking about both of the Borders stores combined. Either way, that wasn't really the point of the article...