Community Matters: What I have learned as a bookstore owner
Around this time nine years ago, my business partner, John Jordan, and I started a community bookstore called eQuip Books. Located on Franklin Avenue in downtown Aliquippa, eQuip Books is ― to my knowledge ― the only independently owned and operated all-purpose bookstore in Beaver County.
The idea for eQuip Books was at once quite simple and at least a little bit audacious. It was simple in that we were seeking to create a time-honored business, void of frills, bells and whistles. Like countless bookstores of old, the vision was simply to buy, sell and trade books to the general public.
The audacious nature of eQuip Books was the result of three things. First, the store was launched in 2014, at a time when, according to the American Bookseller Association, nearly 1 of every 2 independent bookstores were closing their doors permanently in any given year.
Second, more than a few observers presumed that our chosen location was ill-fated, given that we intentionally located our business in the heart of a municipality that had been legally designated as a financially distressed community for multiple decades.
And third, many naysayers were convinced that books had ― to make a bad pun ― a limited shelf life, that electronic media would soon render physical books obsolete, and that there would no longer be any value in this industry.
Our critics’ assumptions turned out to be mostly false. To be fair, each of these observations does contain some measure of truth. Yes, we have felt the financial strain common to many other independent bookstores. Yes, we could have located ourselves along a more densely vibrant commercial corridor. And, yes, there has been a steady shift away from physical books over the last decade. That being said, and as our growing history shows, none of these challenges have been nearly so insurmountable as many warned.
Since we first opened our doors to the public, eQuip Books has sold around 200,000 books (both from our brick-and-mortar store and through our online division). We have written over 3,000 checks into the local economy. We have recycled or upcycled over 1 million books. And we have employed approximately 60 different residents of Beaver County in full or part-time work. While no one is getting filthy rich, we have managed to stay in the black as a business since day one. And all along the way, we have steadily grown our reputation and our customer base as a modern-day business with an old-world sense of community and customer service.
Over nearly a decade, I have learned way more than I ever imagined about community life as a result of owning an independent bookstore in downtown Aliquippa. As we approach the eve of this anniversary, I thought I would take a moment and share a few of the most salient of those lessons here.
Lesson One: While many are convinced that there is little to no future in brick-and-mortar commerce, I have come to believe exactly the opposite. To be sure, not just any brick-and-mortar store will do. And, this is also probably an appropriate time to explain that the vast majority of our revenue comes from online sales that are shipped directly to unknown customers. So, the kind of success that our brick-and-mortar store has enjoyed has come alongside significant adaptation. But, through all that, I have learned that many people still value some things more than convenience or price savings. Many of our customers appreciate the homegrown, quirky, and curated experience of coming to our store. They like looking through books that they never knew existed to find something they may not actually need. And they are drawn to the inevitable conversations, diversions, and unanticipated introductions that come along with visiting an independent bookstore. In short, they seem to enjoy the social aspect of the experience as much as the products being sold. This quality of experience has both human and financial value and entrepreneurs who remember this and give it pride of place can benefit significantly from such insights.
Lesson Two: Related to point number one, I have learned that there can be a significant financial upside that comes from running toward that which most others are running away from. While it is true that there are far fewer people clamoring for an independent bookstore these days, this also means that there are far fewer independent bookstores for those who are clamoring. Put a bit differently, eQuip Books has learned that there is value in holding firm in a declining market. As I mentioned above, we are the only all-purpose independent bookstore in all of Beaver County. That means that we have no direct competitors for the unique services we provide. This has, in many ways, proved advantageous both to our reputation and our bottom line.
Lesson Three: Over the years, I have learned a surprising lesson about the value of having flexible employers in a community. eQuip Books prides itself on treating its employees with dignity and respect. This means that we provide generous flexibility and are willing to work with part-time employees. As a result of this flexibility, we have been able to hire a number of people who relocated to Aliquippa for other reasons. Many of these employees were drawn to Aliquippa to do part-time principle-driven work with a nonprofit, a church, or some other kind of social service organization. eQuip Books often works with such employees, allowing them to supplement part-time income from another job, thereby providing economic stability when it may not have existed otherwise. As a result of this flexibility, there has been a steady influx of young, principle-driven men and women who have decided to call Aliquippa their permanent home. It has been rewarding to see how providing flexible part-time employment can help to accelerate community growth.
Lesson Four: Perhaps most of all, I have come to learn that a business can care about things beyond the bottom line. From our earliest days, we aspired to “rethink what business can do.” Though we have not always risen to this aspiration, we have worked extensively with community partners on a range of different community-making initiatives. We have intentionally hired dozens of employees with some sort of barrier to employment. We have provided meeting space and a community for a growing number of organizations and individuals. And, we have helped to launch other similar initiatives in neighboring communities.
Perhaps you too have learned about your community by running a small business. If that’s you, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send me an email. Or, better yet, swing by eQuip Books and let’s chat soon!
Daniel Rossi-Keen, Ph.D., is the co-owner of eQuip Books, a community bookstore in Aliquippa and the executive director of RiverWise, a nonprofit employing sustainable development practices to create a regional identity around the rivers of Beaver County. You can reach Daniel at daniel@getriverwise.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Community Matters: Lessons learned as a bookstore owner
