OMG! I Bought a Used Bookstore!

[RetroLounge]

Well, not the store itself, but the contents.

20,000+ books, plus over 100 matching bookshelves. It's about 5 hours away. Now i gotta figure out how to get it all back here and what to do with them when I do.

OMG! I actually did it...

Now I need to find a location to lease.

I plan on buying another large lot, maybe 10 or 15,000 more.

and then getting new books added later.

But HOLY SHIT! I actually took my first step toward owning my own business...

:scared:

RL

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. That's awesome, babe!!

The first step is the most important!! :hug:
Duckie

[RetroLounge]

71. Thanks!

:hi:

RL

[GOPisEvil]

2. Wow! That's taking the ol' plunge, isn't it!

I was in a big-ass used book barn in PA last weekend, and I thought about how far into heaven you'd be. :D

I see...a rental truck and a storage unit in your immediate future.

[RetroLounge]

75. Yeah, my immediate future just got scary...

:wow:

RL

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

105. You, sir, have the COOLEST business in the Universe!

For a name, I suggest the obvious: The Retro Lounge.

[Mutley]

3. Congrats!

I'd be :scared: too, but Yay! :party: :toast: :bounce:

[RetroLounge]

77. Yay!

:hi: :bounce:

RL

[eyesroll]

4. Wow, cool!

Congratulations! :bounce:

[RetroLounge]

79. and YOU live in town, so you can buy from us!

:bounce:

:hi:

RL

[eyesroll]

129. I'll be there!

(Got any law books?)

[L A Woman]

5. wow

that's fantastic. sounds like a dream life to me. Good on ya!

[RetroLounge]

92. Or the beginnings of a dream come true

either way, wow about sums it up...

RL

[lizziegrace]

6. YES!!!

I'm so happy for you. You CAN do this.

:hug:

[RetroLounge]

121. Thank you!

You and lelapin can drive down some time and visit!

:hi:

RL

[blondeatlast]

7. WOO-effin-HOO!

I'm a library book buyer and hope to follow in your footsteps someday.

One word--if you don't know it already--ALibris. You'll thank me.

[Extend a Hand]

32. thx

for that tip. I didn't know about that site.

[RetroLounge]

53. Nice Web Site, Thanks!

:hi:

RL

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. That's fucking awesome!

Best of luck with it and if I'm ever in Wisconsin for some bizarre reason, I'll stop in and buy a book. One can never have too many books.

[RetroLounge]

110. Any reason to be in Wisconsin is bizarre...

:D

Come here soon, you'll like it...

RL

[Blue-Jay]

9. I can't describe how fucking awesome that is!

I've always wanted to own a used book store, complete with comfy chairs and an uninterested roaming cat. I'm so happy for you and very jealous at the same time. (surely there's a German word for that, eh?)

If/When you open the place, see if you can get signed copies of books. People love that.

Best wishes for success, you magnificent bastard!

[RetroLounge]

122. and you are only 90 miles away...

but your zombo.com website scares me :scared:

:hi:

RL

[Callalily]

10. Congrats RL!

When you set up shop, you'll have to have a 'consonites DU meeting.

Wishing you all the luck on your new endeavor.

[RetroLounge]

130. Definitely have a DU meetup!

:D

RL

[bridgit]

11. in for a penny, in for a pound...

:thumbsup: we operate our own; the schedules are ours, the money is ours, the time off is ours; the rest can kiss our collective ass B-) oh...and the headaches are ours x( but it's still all good, congrat'z :-)

[RetroLounge]

134. Thanks!

"the rest can kiss our collective ass "

Yup, this is very true...

:hi:

RL

[haf216]

12. You are much braver then I will ever be!

:applause: :woohoo: :wow: I don't think I could ever take that big a leap. But happy for you, because it sounds like you have wanted to do this for a while.

[RetroLounge]

135. A long long while

But i'm not sure if it's brave or foolhardy :D

:hi:

RL

[Left Is Write]

13. My favorite kind of store.

[RetroLounge]

136. Well, you'll have to come visit...

:hi:

RL

[Ellen Forradalom]

14. You're calling it The Retro Book Lounge, right?

I'm definitely looking you up when I'm in your neighborhood!

[RetroLounge]

148. Not a bad name, but no, I haven't decided.

I want to add new books, remainders and new bargain books in the future.

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. My dear RetroLounge!

That is wonderful news!

Good for you, sweetie!

I know you're scared...who wouldn't be? But you didn't let that stop you, did you?

:toast: :bounce: :bounce: :toast:

[RetroLounge]

149. Nope.

Someone told me faith is being scared and doing it anyhow.

So I will have faith.

RL

[Mike03]

16. Sensational!!!

You are to be admired-this is awesomely cool.

Just take things one step at a time, and ENJOY every precious moment of taking this kind of power over your destiny. Books and literature are such a wonderful thing, you are making the world a better place by doing this.

Please keep us posted on your progress, like if you make a website or something. I am a compulsive book collector so I may well become a customer : - )

[jane_pippin]

17. Alright! Good for you!

Here's to your new venture's success :toast:

[cobalt1999]

18. Get a website up and running and you've got a customer here.

I go through about a book per week.

[zanne]

43. Same here.

Will you make recommendations?

[RetroLounge]

54. I already have a website registered for 3 years.

Just gotta get a web store on it now.

RL

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

107. Is this it? Was this a previous business of yours?

http://www.retrolounge.com/

[RetroLounge]

109. Nope, not my business...

same name as me...

RL

[tjwmason]

126. Will you be providing shipping to the U.K.?

If so just tell me when and where I can order...I'll be bankrupted soon after, but I'll be happy. :D

[RetroLounge]

128. For you, of course...

:hi:

RL

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

106. And here! Foreign books aren't taxed in Brazil. I'll buy.

And, surprising, S&H is quite acceptable, especially if you buy 3 or more books in the same go.

[YankeyMCC]

19. Wow! That's a little scary isn't it?

But also a Lot wonderful!

As far as I'm concerned every new bookstore, perhaps in particular Used Book stores, makes the world a better place. :)

Best of Luck!

[RetroLounge]

131. Thanks!

A little scary, a LOT exciting...

:hi:

RL

[zonkers]

20. You madman. What's next, Posting them on ABE?

Is there a pdf of titles for us to check out. Lets cut some deals!

[RetroLounge]

150. No pdf file...

and it may take 10 years to post them on ABE

RL

[Book Lover]

21. That's a lot of stock

I'm sure you got quite a variety. Best of luck to you!

[RetroLounge]

151. Yeah, and he just offered me 6000 more

:D

RL

[wovenpaint]

22. Good for you!

I'll send out good thoughts to you for your place-that'll come next, you'll see.
:applause: :woohoo: :thumbsup: :toast: :yourock:

[RetroLounge]

152. Thanks!

:hi:

RL

[Liberalynn]

23. Congratulations

Books are one of my favorite things in life, and so are used bookstores.

I wish you lots of success! :hug:

[RetroLounge]

160. Thank you!

:hi:

:hug:

RL

[Boojatta]

24. Some Suggestions

1. Get creative with the store hours. Keep them simple so that people can remember them, but otherwise don't put any restrictions on what you're willing to consider.

For example:

A. Store hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 4 PM to Midnight. People are in a bad mood on Monday, so why not wait until Wednesday for them to cheer up?

B. Store hours: Tuesday to Thursday 6 AM to 2 PM; and Friday to Sunday 4 PM to Midnight. This way any particular person will likely be able to fit a visit to the store into his or her schedule.

C. Store hours: Tuesday to Sunday 6 AM to Noon and 6 PM to Midnight (In other words, open each day early, close for 6 hours, and then open again for another 6 hours).

2. Discount on bulk purchases

Encourage people to buy, for their friends, copies of a book that they particularly like. For example, offer 4 copies of any one book for the price of 3. The goal is to increase sales and lower your per-book cost of sales.

3. Automatic buy-back for books in good condition after the return period has ended.

In other words, if people can return a book within two weeks with the receipt from your store, then tell them how much you will pay them for a book (with the receipt from your store) for perhaps as much as a year after the two-week period has ended. For example, start with 75 percent of what they paid and subtract five percent for every month since they bought it.

Possible advantage #1: You will be able to offer used copies of a given book for sale at a discount. This will help you get an idea of how much of a mark-up people are willing to pay for superficial qualities of newness.

Possible advantage #2: It will give poor customers the option of lower prices with no loss of information for them.

Possible advantage #3: That policy might make some people more willing to buy books from you. Yes, they might not like the idea of a book going down in value soon after it is "driven off the lot", but they will at least know where and how to re-sell it. Maybe they can think of it as a long-term loan for a price, a deal not offered by public libraries.

4. Stock up on books available in public libraries only in the reference section. Also stock up on books that are still in print, but not readily available in public libraries. For example, there are particular books for which all copies are lost or missing or in transit or on hold.

[RetroLounge]

161. Thanks for the suggestions!

I appreciate it much!

RL

[rug]

25. Burn the Coulters.

[Catshrink]

57. Actually, that would be a good opening day publicity getter.

Say you'll only sell books labeled non-fiction that are truthful. A Coulter Bonfire event for the opening of the RetroLounge Book Store.

Congratulations, BTW.

[NewWaveChick1981]

26. Tremendous! That's fantastic!

:woohoo: :applause: You should talk to the father of my best friend. Her dad's a used bookstore junkie. His house is stacked floor to ceiling with books (and he's actually read every single one.. :wow: ).

You should be very proud of yourself! :loveya:

[reyd reid reed]

27. Hooray!!!!

I'm soooo excited for you!!

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

That's always been a dream of mine...to own a used books store. My problem would be parting with them, though. I tend to be something of a book-whore.

*sigh*

Congratulations, darlin'.

:toast:

[dorktv]

28. Do we get first dibs on the books?

Congrats! You are going to be a fabo success!

[RetroLounge]

60. of course...

:hi:

RL

[dorktv]

62. *hands you her credit card* weee!

I spend way too much on books.

[VelmaD]

29. That is...

SO FUCKING COOL. Congrats on taking that first step. You open up a bookstore and I betcha you get a bunch of DUers coming to visit you. :)

[RetroLounge]

159. That would be so fucking cool...

I love meeting with DU'ers...

:hi:

RL

[ikojo]

30. Much success to you on your

new endeavor! We need more bookstores.

Where are you located?

[graywarrior]

31. Man, you are my idol for doing that.

I wish you a great time and prosperity.

[Floogeldy]

33. I assume you have done a lot of research into the used book business.

I know nothing about it. Please educate me. :)

Do owners get rich under these circumstances, or what? What is the projected profit?

[RetroLounge]

58. Always the voice of reason...

Been researching and working on the business plan for 6 months or more.

No, I will not get rich, i'll be lucky to stay in business...

Worst case, I go broke and sit around and read 20,000 books.

Could be worse.

RL

[Floogeldy]

66. I wish you all of the success in the world, RL.

:)

[Extend a Hand]

34. congrats!

best of luck

[LuckyTheDog]

35. Good! Some advice.

Now, form an S Corp. You could manage at first with an LLC, but incorporating has advantages. Do NOT try to get by with a DBA.

Also: don't try to do all the "business" crap yourself. Get a bookkeeper. And by all means join a small business networking/support group. Your profile says you are male. But, if there is a National Association of Women Business Owners chapter in your area, join it (they'll let you in if they are anything like the NAWBO chapter where I am). NAWBO is great. http://www.nawbo.org/.

You also will want to look into SCORE: http://www.score.org/. They can hook you up with a volunteer mentor.

Good luck.

[fudge stripe cookays]

42. Addendum to that....

Get a bookkeeper you TRUST.

Very cool, RL! Congrats! :cheers:

[RetroLounge]

59. Ahead of you there.

I did a 4 week course with SCORE and have a retail business mentor.
Did loan seminars with the SBA.
Found a bookstore consulting firm and worked with them.
Been researching the bookselling industry.
Been reading daily email industry newsletters for about 6 months.

thanks!

RL

[lost-in-nj]

36. Congratulations!

I will never forget when my father bought 6 or 7 boxes of old books from a flea market.
They way they smelled and looked. I held everyone of them and wondered about the people that owned them......
Have a blast!!!! I love used books. They can tell more stories then the words written in between the pages.....

:toast:

lost

[NMMNG]

37. That is so cool

I'm sure you'll have loads of fun. I wish working in such a store would pay a living wage.

[Broken_Hero]

38. sweet, I'm jealous...:) nt

[xchrom]

39. i can't think of a more wonderful person to do this, congratulations!

[JI7]

40. exciting

a bookstore would be at the top of my list of businesses i would love to own .

have fun with it.

[peacefreak]

41. Hooray!

Another liberal, independent bookseller. Welcome to the fold. You'll never get rich, but the satisfaction of doing something you love is immense.

[asthmaticeog]

44. That. Is. Awesome.

That's dream-come-true stuff, RL! If I'm ever in your neck of the woods, I will HAPPILY stop in and shop for books! :thumbsup:

[joneschick]

45. that's wonderful!

:bounce: Keep us posted on your location choice. Scruffbunny wants to work for you! And, hey, I'm currently laid off so give a holler if you need another pair of hands. :hi: that is so exciting!

[GirlinContempt]

46. You know who to call

[terrya]

47. Man, I envy you.

I love to read. I love spending time in used book stores.

My dream job would be to run a used bookstore. And now you've went ahead and done it.

Congratulations! No advice...I don't have any business experience.

I wish you and your store the best. I hope it's a great success. :-)

[In_The_Wind]

48. I have lots of used books (in excellent condition) that need a new home.

Let me know when you're ready for a donation to your store.


Congratulations

[Nikia]

49. Congrats

On taking a major step towards opening your business. Good luck on finding a good reasonably priced location.

[Serial Mom]

50. Congrats - do you need a cashier?

I'm available!

Or maybe a partner???

[buddhamama]

51. Congrats !

wow. this is frickin' cool. i have dreamed of owning a bookstore...

let me know if you'll be needing any help, i'll work for cheap.

a toast to books and book lovers :toast:

and, to your success :toast:

[RetroLounge]

52. Thanks for the well wishes and advice

Update: Guy came up with 4000 more books, all biography, plus a bunch of misc. books.]

So now I gotta pick up, catalogue, price and store 25,000 books.

YAY!

:hi:

RL

[Aristus]

Good luck, Retro.

If I did the same thing, I'd go out of business in a hurry. I couldn't sell all those books. I'd just sit around all day, reading.

I'm happy for you, though. I hope it will be a success. :thumbsup:

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

55. If you install a coffee machine and come here to Ohio, I'll work for you

[last_texas_dem]

56. That's awesome

Congratulations, and good luck! That's a lot of stuff to get together, but you've already taken one of the biggest steps. I'd probably get bogged down checking out all the books and never get around to selling them myself. haha But yeah, that's really cool, and I hope you have fun with this.

[auntAgonist]

61. Best wishes on your endeavour!

I hope you enjoy much success and find satisfaction in your work.

aA
:hi:

[Sugar Smack]

63. Retro, I'm really happy for you.

I'll bet your mind is absolutely reeling with the possibilities of how to arrange and run it. If I weren't so happy for you I'd be envious! I'd love to know what your ideas are for the atmosphere of the place.

[fishwax]

64. Good luck! Sounds fun

A lot of work, I'm sure, but that would be a really fun kind of business to have if you can make it go. Good luck!

:toast:

[speedoo]

65. Fantastic!

Congratulations, RL:toast:

I too, love used books. I've probably purchased about 300 on ebay, and sold about 100, in the last few years, and I'm thinking about an eBay store, focusing on sailing books. Primarily cruising guides.

[ghostsofgiants]

67. I've got one thing to say...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJg_WMw56Hw

Haha, congrats!

[RetroLounge]

73. Well, I see which DVD I will be buying...

:rofl:

RL

[ghostsofgiants]

76. Seriously, one of the funniest shows you'll ever see.

[Guava Jelly]

68. I haven't congratulated you in this thread yet!

But I Will!
Owning your own business is the American dream!
And you my friend are striving for it!!
I co-own a very small company And even though i cant go full time with it.
And right now I can't even pay myself.
Just the hope and the dreams of what will be are enough to keep me excited!!!
I am so happy for you!!!!
:toast:

[tigereye]

69. that is very very cool!

I am so excited for you!

:thumbsup:

[u4ic]

70. Way to go, RL!!

Best of luck to you!! :bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[qwertyMike]

72. MY HERO !!!!!

Follow your Bliss

[Neoma]

74. Oh cool.

Now get to work on reading them all! Muhahahaha.

[LaurenG]

78. You are too COOL! nt

[AirmensMom]

80. Yay for RetroLounge!

:bounce: :applause: :toast: :woohoo: :yourock: :party:

And wildhorses says the same thing! (We don't have enough computers to go around. :( )

:bounce: :applause: :toast: :woohoo: :yourock: :party:

[RetroLounge]

85. Thanks!

i think the store logo needs to have a picture of 4 cute DU'er butts...

:rofl:

RL

[AirmensMom]

89. I'll vote for that!

:bounce: :applause: :rofl:

[uppityperson]

81. now that is really cool, congratulations.

a bookstore's insides, very cool.

[Maestro]

82. Good luck!

Add a little coffee shop and you will be good to go! :)

[RetroLounge]

83. We'll brew a pot just for you...

:hi:

RL

[leftofthedial]

84. that so totally rocks . . .

way to go!!

[RetroLounge]

86. Thank you...

Scared and excited...

:scared: :woohoo:

RL

[leftofthedial]

88. I see lots of work in your future

but also much reward!

[Richardo]

87. You rock, retrolounge

Best of luck with that, and let us know where you land...

:toast:

[RetroLounge]

112. Will do...

:hi:

RL

[Shine]

90. That's awesome!! Good for you, RL!!

:toast: I wish you all the best. :hug:

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

91. Thanks!

:hug:

RL

[texanwitch]

93. Congrats on the new bookstore.

:toast:

[RetroLounge]

94. Thank you...

:toast:

RL

[aaronbees]

95. That rocks!

Must be quite an amazing feeling. Now make sure you stock lots of great poetry and have fun ;) :hi:

[RetroLounge]

98. The more poetry the better!

:hi:

RL

[hfojvt]

96. How much did that cost?

That's probably more inventory than I had, unless you count the 5,000 harlequins I had. I never had much luck with harlequins. I sold the old ones at 10 for $1 and hardly ever sold any. I did have one person who got them through the mail, read them fast and then sold them to me for 25 cents each. They get them in the mail a couple months before wholesalers do so I would have October or November harlequins for sale used by this date. Still I only got 75 cents for them or 5 for $3.

I am thinking this will be a tough living. It was for me although I kinda miss it, and the books too. Crimony. I have been out of business now longer than I was in it and I am still nostalgic and wondering if I could have/ should have done some things different. Obviously, if I had known that my competition would close a year after I did, I would have stayed with it.

[hickman]

97. As it happens, I have a ton of books to sell/ pay you to take them

off my hands. Let me know.

[RetroLounge]

104. Sounds good...

:hi:

RL

[DainBramaged]

99. UHaul, Penske, Enterprise all rent trucks, with ramps or liftgates

[DainBramaged]

100. Oh, and don't forget to give us an address to ship our used books to

[RetroLounge]

102. Will Do...

:hi:

RL

[ulysses]

101. great!

Congrats, and best of luck!

[RetroLounge]

103. Thanks!

and you have the cutest kid!

:hi:

RL

[ClassWarrior]

108. Wow. Nice job RL!!

Call me... maybe I can help.

NGU, my friend.

[RetroLounge]

111. Ah, yes you can help.

You are a strapping young man who can lift boxes... :D

How are you my friend?

RL

[ClassWarrior]

113. I dunno about the "young" part...

...but I'm doing pretty good, thanks. :hi: You too, I trust?

NGU.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

114. Let me know when you'll be doing the heavy lifting

Will work for beer

[RetroLounge]

116. It's a deal!

Name your brand... Pizza included.

:hi:

RL

[ClassWarrior]

123. I'm cheaper. I'll do it for Diet Coke.

:hi:

NGU.

[RetroLounge]

124. You're hired!

:D

RL

[City Lights]

115. Congrats, RL!

My in-laws are in the bookstore business! Welcome to the family!

Good luck!

[RetroLounge]

117. Hello!

Yeah, I am excited about leading a life of poverty but actually loving my job...

:hi:

RL

[scareyrepublicans]

119. Congratulations on your choice

your new path in life will be alive, calm, and ever growing. I envy you, I would love to do the same thing.

[CanuckAmok]

118. Well, as long as you're not making any rash decisions during your divorce!

Seriously, good for you!

I hope you're planning on buying a nice comfy sofa and coffee table so I can hang out there for hours and read without actually buying anything.

[RetroLounge]

120. Already have the "hang out" furniture...

But if you come by, you need to bring yvr girl and GIC with you...

We'll have a Canadian day!

:hi:

RL

[redwitch]

125. my dad had a used bookstore for over twenty years, in NJ

It was lots of fun, I had the world's best job working there! Best of luck with your bookstore, you will meet wonderful people!

[RetroLounge]

127. Thanks!

Drop by for a cup of coffee and a book sometime...

:hi:

RL

[dragonlady]

132. We'll try to come in sometimes

but I'll have to put dragongentleman on a strict limit--we have so many books now that you can't walk around the house.

Have you read the Burglar mysteries by Lawrence Block? The protagonist is a burglar by profession but he also runs a secondhand bookstore for cover, and it sounds like a really nice lifestyle (the bookstore part, that is--the burglar part is too scary!).

[RetroLounge]

133. I'm not a burglar...

Should I be? :D

You can always bring books in to sell back before you buy more.

But really, can you EVER have too many books?

RL

[JitterbugPerfume]

137. WOW

just WOW

that is so cool!!

[RetroLounge]

138. Thanks

and since you are a Tom Robbins Fan, you can shop our store in the future for his books :D

:hi:

RL

[JitterbugPerfume]

146. will I be able to order books???

Keep us posted!

[RetroLounge]

147. I will have a web page as soon as i can

so yes...

RL

[acmavm]

139. I spend a lot of time in used book stores. I love the

Antiquarium on 12th & Harney and Pageturners on 50th & Dodge.

You're so lucky.

[Bridget Burke]

140. "Deal Or No Deal: The Art of Scouting for Rare Books...

In the Age of the Internet"--from the Texas Observer. (Summary: Things are changing, but nobody's ever goes into the business to get rich.) http://texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2276

Writer Larry McMurtrey now owns four buildings worth of used books in Archer City, Texas. I seem to remember him saying that he might not have many novels left in him--but booksellers can just keep on going.
www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/s02/mm.htm

Good Luck!

[RetroLounge]

142. Thanks for the links!

:hi:

RL

[Wally101]

141. Big step, but congratulations!

Not many are brave enough to take that first leap. I know I'm not. Still working for the "man". Or trying to find a job that would let me work for the "man".

Mark

[RetroLounge]

143. Thanks.

bravery and stupidity are really close, I think... :D

RL

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

144. You suck, RL.

You're living my secret used-books fantasy.

:P

[RetroLounge]

145. It's no longer a secret!

:D

RL

[kmla]

153. Do you have a copy of that one book.... you know....

....it's a romance novel, I think. All of my friends have read it. They say it's really good.

You have that one?


:D

[RetroLounge]

154. First Edition, signed by the author..

You know, her, the author, that one...

:D

RL

[CAcyclist]

155. Congratulations!

I want to clone myself so I can run a bookstore/community center and still run my practice. Good luck - if you add an online website, I'll "stop in " and buy something.

Dani

[RetroLounge]

156. There will be an online store

:hi:

RL

[Phillycat]

157. Oh my gosh, you stole my dream job!

Congratulations!! :bounce:

[RetroLounge]

158. I just borrowed it.

You can come hang out anytime...

:bounce:

RL