#chloe eudaly

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[wearepioneerspress]

Read a great interview with Chloe from Reading Frenzy!

http://ooligan.pdx.edu/interview-chloe-eudaly/

[wearepioneerspress]

Help Reading Frenzy Relaunch!

Reading Frenzy, one of Pioneers Press' favorite zine/bookstores recently lost its lease and is Kickstarting funds to open in a new location (and take stuff to the next [essential] level). We talked with Reading Frenzy's Chloe Eudaly about the shop's Kickstarter (which you can find here) and what it means to be an independent bookseller in this day and age.

Q: You're doing a Kickstarter to bring Reading Frenzy back and take stuff to the next level. What can people expect from the new store once you're up and running?

A: We immediately started looking for a new space when we found out we had lost our lease. I planned on just scraping the resources together, like I have been for the past 18-years, including personal loans from a handful of friends. When we didn't secure a new location in time for the move and I had to pack everything up and put it into storage it gave me more time to think about our next step. I realized that we needed to at least double our space, inventory, and sales in order to support a small staff and become more sustainable. And that I needed to branch out to stay engaged with the venture. So, besides having a bigger bookshop we plan on adding a dedicated art exhibit space, expanding our hours and our events programming. We have a long-term goal of adding workshop space, a reading room, and an artists' book and zine print-on-demand set up but that's contingent on finding a big enough space and raising extra $$.

Q: What sorts of rewards are you offering?

A: We're offering a combination of rewards that we'll produce ourselves--posters, t-shirts, totes, etc.--items that have been donated, and even a fancy dinner. Almost every award is bundled with a $25 500 Friends of Reading Frenzy membership. We wanted to invite backers to do something more than just buy a cool poster--we want to invite them to undertake a little piece of our future (and they get discounts and other perks in exchange). The biggest reward includes an inscribed chair (1 of 50) that will be on display every time we have an event.

(Kickstarter reward: You Are Like... by Nicole Lavelle)

Q: What happens if you guys don't get the full funding?

A: Kickstarter is all or nothing, so if we don't reach our goal we won't receive any of the funds raised and Reading Frenzy will not reopen. I will probably continue the small publishing project I have (Show & Tell), maintain the website, and put on sporadic art and literary events, but I've decided to leave the fate of the physical space up to our patrons and fans. A couple handfuls of people have given A LOT to keep the space going through personal and economic hardship. I'd love the chance to do it up right with the support of hundreds of people, so the load is light for everyone.

Q: Finally, any advice for folks who want to start up an independent bookstore?

A: This is a really interesting time to be a bookseller. Despite all the doomsday predictions about print and bookselling I'm seeing a resurgence of interest in both. A bookstore doesn't have to be huge, and doesn't have to have a comprehensive offering to be great. What's more important is that booksellers are filling a need in their community, and have a knack for tracking down interesting work, and getting it into the hands of adventurous readers. One the most important thing a bookshop has to offer over a website is a physical space to gather, so make that space welcoming and vibrant. Come up with interesting events programming. Give your patrons a way to interact with the business. For us that means having an open door consignment policy where we welcome any local self-publisher or small press to sell their books through us.

A few random thoughts -- no matter how unique your business is the rules will still mostly apply to you so spend some time learning how to run a small business (check out your local library and SBDC for starts). Read Andy Laties' Rebel Bookseller for ideas and inspiration. Tap your favorite booksellers for advice (ideally ones you're not going to open right down the street from)--a lot of us are more than happy to talk shop.

One of the hardest lines to walk with any small business is cultivating an air of abundance while consistently reminding your customers that your continued survival depends on them. We've only done a handful of fund raisers in the past 18+ years, and they've always been stop-gap measures to get us through to the next month. This Kickstarter campaign is a once in the store's lifetime event--we lost our lease, we don't have the resources to start almost from scratch, and we're looking to our supporters to help come back bigger and better than ever.