Keep Adventure Bound Books Open!
Donation protected
The Who & Why of Adventure Bound Books (Abbreviated)
Adventure Bound Books (ABB) is an independent bookstore in Morganton, NC. I (Angela) opened ABB 2 years and 4 months ago in June 2018 following about eight years without an independent bookstore in our community that sold both new and used books. I believed then and now that communities are stronger when they have a thriving independent bookstore.
Prior to opening the bookstore, I was working full time as a professor at a university approximately 75 minutes drive from Morganton. Because of the schedule and the commute, I felt like I was unable to invest in the community there, where the university was located, as well as unable to invest in my community here, in Morganton, despite also having a private mental health counseling practice in downtown. I wanted to invest, to give back, to help my my community grow. I wanted to change the world, beginning with my own community, by inspiring readers and writers and thinkers and offering them each a hub that was either a "home base" for their inspiration and passions or a "refueling station" for their love of reading, writing, and thinking.
Seeking to fill the need in our community for an independent bookstore, and my need to be able to invest directly into my community, I launched Adventure Bound Books. I hope that when you walk into my bookstore, that you're able to take time to browse the shelves and spend some time with the curated stories there. That you are not in a hurry, that you would allow me to make a recommendation or tell you about what I've read recently that was amazing or soulful or timely. I hope that you feel safe here, knowing that everyone is welcomed, and that I strive to curate stories for these shelves that everyone can relate to or find themselves in as a hero. I hope you feel challenged here as you browse the shelves, knowing that you'll find stories about worlds and people different than you with a story to be shared. I hope that emerging readers will find the story that connects with them and ignites a passion for a lifelong love of learning and reading. I hope that voracious readers always find something new to keep them reading and that they will find in their bookseller a truly curious ear that wants to hear what stories they have already found interesting that I can then recommend to others.
Why a GoFundMe
At the heart of it, for those that don't want to read the longer story below, the bookstore has accumulated a collective gap of "behindness" over the two plus years we've been open. That gap comes from selling fewer books than needed to just keep the doors open (numbers that do not include hiring permanent booksellers, offering additional programming, expanding store hours, or paying the bookstore owner). This Go Fund Me project is an attempt to make up for some of that collective "behindness" and make it to the end of 2020 then forge forward into 2021 on more solid footing. I know that some of you have To Be Read piles of books that you will never finish and buying another book is not on your radar right now, but that you agree that our community needs a bookstore.
What Will Funds Be Used For?
The top priorities are rent, utility bills, technology and software programs that contribute to every day operations, and keeping inventory fresh (did you know there are hundreds to thousands of books that publish EVERY Tuesday?!). Filling in the growing gap from previous months is a second tier priority. Anything left will be used to grow programming (I have an amazing storytelling program I want to launch for 6 to 17 year olds!) and to hire a permanent bookseller to help out at the shop. And if there's anything else left, I'll set something aside for myself. It's that simple.
If you'd like to know a more, please keep reading more about our WHY.
A little over a year ago, after numerous questions about how the bookstore was doing from regulars and curious newcomers to the store, I began to try to quantify how things were going. I sat with monthly financial obligations and summed them. I totaled the expenses to the bookstore of offering no-cost programming to the community such as poetry nights, book clubs, and weekly story time. I examined the average profit the bookstore makes on books - children's books, adult paperback, adult hardcover - based on the bookstore's cost to the publishers per book and selling the books at the publisher's suggested retail price. I took into consideration non-book item sells. I arrived at figures that seemed to make sense; a tangible answer to "so how is the bookstore doing?" or "how are things going?".
In our original space, that "books needed" number was smaller than it is now. "Why move then?" you may ask. In the original 550 square foot space, the amount of programming I was able to offer to the community was limited. Poetry nights, story time, author events, youth camps, and book clubs were outgrowing the physical space but these were much asked after events that strengthen what the bookstore brings to the community. An opportunity presented itself that was still risky, but necessary for the bookstore to be more than simply a place to buy a book. And isn't an independent bookstore all about what else it offers to its community beyond simply being a place to buy a book? So, in September 2019, we moved the bookstore down the block into a space that was three times larger and offered a dedicated space for community gatherings and much needed storage. The number of books needed moved from 480 books per month to 550 books per month (again, these are conservative numbers that do not include desired growth of any kind).
Below is my best attempt at making tangible the "gap" I mentioned; that number of books not sold but needed. (The numbers read as follows: Month, Books Needed, Books Sold, Difference (or excess, in a couple of months).)
June 2018 - 240, 161, -79
July 2018 - 480, 217, -263
August 2018 - 480, 235, -245
September 2018 - 480, 111, -369
October 2018 - 480, 164, -316
November 2018 - 480, 238, -242
December 2018 - 480, 332, -148
January 2019 - 480, 148, -332
February 2019 - 480, 197, -283
March 2019 - 480, 266, -214
April 2019 - 480, 379, -101
May 2019 - 480, 221, -259
June 2019 - 480, 439, -41
July 2019 - 480, 570, +90 (yay!)
August 2019 - 480, 787, +307 (double yay with thanks to LRU!)
September 2019 - 550, 462, -88
October 2019 - 550, 327, -223
November 2019 - 550, 364, -186
December 2019 - 550, 636, +86 (yay!)
January 2020 - 550, 433, -117
February 2020 - 550, 401, -149
March 2020 - 550, 380, -170
April 2020 - 550, 381, -169
May 2020 - 550, 210, -340
June 2020 - 550, 395, -155
July 2020 - 550, 393, -157
August 2020 - 550, 388, -162
September 2020 - 550, 434, -116
The total "gap" in numerical form, since the bookstore opened in 2018, is 4,613 books short of goals for the number of books needed to be sold. IF each book represented $1, that would be a lot of missing revenue. The tough thing is that each book represents much more than just $1.
"Why haven't you already closed the bookstore?" you may ask next. Because I believe in how much our community needs a bookstore and I believe that others feel the same way. Because I have a vision for how the bookstore will grow, the free-to-the-public programs I want to offer that will enhance our community, down to the youngest of readers and writers, building a foundation for lifelong learning, love of reading, and storytelling. I have an amazing partner who is working four paying jobs so I don't have to walk away from this dream, this bookstore, and this community, and so I can volunteer my time to keep growing the bookstore into what it is meant to become.
What Created The "Gap"
As you can see, the gap began before COVID-19, but COVID-19 has had a significant impact of it's own. One major result of COVID-19's influence on the state of things is that the author events held at the bookstore and off-site at community partners (county libraries, local churches, and Lenoir-Rhyne University) have changed or ceased. Book sells at these events were crucial for helping the bookstore get closer to the needed number of book sells each month (and even bumped us over the goal two months in July and August 2019!). Not having these monthly events has been a challenge.
Another influencing factor, and one that existed pre-COVID-19, is the seeming convenience of purchasing books online from retailers that offer lower prices. Independent bookstores aren't selling higher priced items as well to offset the loss when selling books significantly below the wholesale cost of the books. Shoppers buy online through programs like Amazon's Smile program that donate a terribly small portion (one half of a percent!) back to registered non-profits, in the hopes that this will send money to the non-profits they love, while my bookstore is supporting local non-profits and schools in more significant ways through direct donations, donations of goods (books, merchandise, and gift certificates), and sponsorships of programs and events, all without requiring purchases from those asking. But this idea of lower book prices coupled with helping a non-profit they care about draws shoppers to venues other than their local independent bookstore, who happens to also donate and sponsor community programs and organizations AND often offers some sort of discount or sale on books and merchandise year-round.
Normal new-business-ness also contributed. What I mean by that is I am not ignorant to the normal growth in awareness that has to happen when a new business comes to town. For the bookstore, that has been a slow growth. I can see it, though, in the increasing numbers of first time shoppers to the store. I can see it as repeat customers are referring others to the bookstore. The new location makes the bookstore more predominant and that was one of the "pros" on the list when considering the move to a bigger space last year. So, people are finding us and awareness is happening. But again, it has been slow and some of the gap is because of this.
Adapting to Survive
You may wonder "well have you done anything to adapt?". The answer is YES! While I'm not able to host in-store events and free-to-the-public happenings at this time (because even though the current space is larger than the original space, it is still small and not spacious enough to host more than 4-6 people safely), I'm partnering with the Community House for a low-cost event space option where we can spread out safely. I launched a new eCommerce shopping portal in March and now readers can buy books from us from around the US in support of the bookstore. I've partnered with Bookshop.org to try to connect with the shoppers who like to order online but haven't found our direct eCommerce website yet (our direct website has a greater positive impact on our bottom line than Bookshop.org does).
I offer curbside/front door pick up. I run specials on shipping costs (meaning I pay part of the shipping) to entice folks to continue shopping with us if they prefer not to come out in public and crowds. My bookstore/bookseller professional associations offer amazing online/virtual events and I'm partnering with them to continue to connect readers to the writers they love. I've applied for grants and loans and programs of financial support for which I'm eligible, and keep applying even after I continually hear "no" or "not funded".
On a personal note, I was working a part time job, teaching online as an adjunct professor, until COVID-19 required more faculty members to be trained to teach online, eliminating the need for adjuncts to teach online courses. And as I mentioned above, I have an amazing partner who is working four paying jobs so I don't have to walk away from this dream, this bookstore, and this community, and so I can volunteer my time to keep growing the bookstore into what it is meant to become. But the time has come to ask the community for help for the bookstore to continue to survive.
Parting Words
Thank you for reading this, for sharing the link to it with others, and for considering making a donation in support of the bookstore. I'm fighting for the survival of the bookstore and my dream, but also for each of you who loves having a bookstore in our community. I'm fighting for every author already published and every author not yet published who have stories to tell and share with world. I'm fighting for every reader who wants to see themselves as the hero in a story or needs to see themselves as the hero in a storybook so they can believe they can be the hero in their own life's story. Thank you for showing up here and for helping.
Adventure Bound Books (ABB) is an independent bookstore in Morganton, NC. I (Angela) opened ABB 2 years and 4 months ago in June 2018 following about eight years without an independent bookstore in our community that sold both new and used books. I believed then and now that communities are stronger when they have a thriving independent bookstore.
Prior to opening the bookstore, I was working full time as a professor at a university approximately 75 minutes drive from Morganton. Because of the schedule and the commute, I felt like I was unable to invest in the community there, where the university was located, as well as unable to invest in my community here, in Morganton, despite also having a private mental health counseling practice in downtown. I wanted to invest, to give back, to help my my community grow. I wanted to change the world, beginning with my own community, by inspiring readers and writers and thinkers and offering them each a hub that was either a "home base" for their inspiration and passions or a "refueling station" for their love of reading, writing, and thinking.
Seeking to fill the need in our community for an independent bookstore, and my need to be able to invest directly into my community, I launched Adventure Bound Books. I hope that when you walk into my bookstore, that you're able to take time to browse the shelves and spend some time with the curated stories there. That you are not in a hurry, that you would allow me to make a recommendation or tell you about what I've read recently that was amazing or soulful or timely. I hope that you feel safe here, knowing that everyone is welcomed, and that I strive to curate stories for these shelves that everyone can relate to or find themselves in as a hero. I hope you feel challenged here as you browse the shelves, knowing that you'll find stories about worlds and people different than you with a story to be shared. I hope that emerging readers will find the story that connects with them and ignites a passion for a lifelong love of learning and reading. I hope that voracious readers always find something new to keep them reading and that they will find in their bookseller a truly curious ear that wants to hear what stories they have already found interesting that I can then recommend to others.
Why a GoFundMe
At the heart of it, for those that don't want to read the longer story below, the bookstore has accumulated a collective gap of "behindness" over the two plus years we've been open. That gap comes from selling fewer books than needed to just keep the doors open (numbers that do not include hiring permanent booksellers, offering additional programming, expanding store hours, or paying the bookstore owner). This Go Fund Me project is an attempt to make up for some of that collective "behindness" and make it to the end of 2020 then forge forward into 2021 on more solid footing. I know that some of you have To Be Read piles of books that you will never finish and buying another book is not on your radar right now, but that you agree that our community needs a bookstore.
What Will Funds Be Used For?
The top priorities are rent, utility bills, technology and software programs that contribute to every day operations, and keeping inventory fresh (did you know there are hundreds to thousands of books that publish EVERY Tuesday?!). Filling in the growing gap from previous months is a second tier priority. Anything left will be used to grow programming (I have an amazing storytelling program I want to launch for 6 to 17 year olds!) and to hire a permanent bookseller to help out at the shop. And if there's anything else left, I'll set something aside for myself. It's that simple.
If you'd like to know a more, please keep reading more about our WHY.
A little over a year ago, after numerous questions about how the bookstore was doing from regulars and curious newcomers to the store, I began to try to quantify how things were going. I sat with monthly financial obligations and summed them. I totaled the expenses to the bookstore of offering no-cost programming to the community such as poetry nights, book clubs, and weekly story time. I examined the average profit the bookstore makes on books - children's books, adult paperback, adult hardcover - based on the bookstore's cost to the publishers per book and selling the books at the publisher's suggested retail price. I took into consideration non-book item sells. I arrived at figures that seemed to make sense; a tangible answer to "so how is the bookstore doing?" or "how are things going?".
In our original space, that "books needed" number was smaller than it is now. "Why move then?" you may ask. In the original 550 square foot space, the amount of programming I was able to offer to the community was limited. Poetry nights, story time, author events, youth camps, and book clubs were outgrowing the physical space but these were much asked after events that strengthen what the bookstore brings to the community. An opportunity presented itself that was still risky, but necessary for the bookstore to be more than simply a place to buy a book. And isn't an independent bookstore all about what else it offers to its community beyond simply being a place to buy a book? So, in September 2019, we moved the bookstore down the block into a space that was three times larger and offered a dedicated space for community gatherings and much needed storage. The number of books needed moved from 480 books per month to 550 books per month (again, these are conservative numbers that do not include desired growth of any kind).
Below is my best attempt at making tangible the "gap" I mentioned; that number of books not sold but needed. (The numbers read as follows: Month, Books Needed, Books Sold, Difference (or excess, in a couple of months).)
June 2018 - 240, 161, -79
July 2018 - 480, 217, -263
August 2018 - 480, 235, -245
September 2018 - 480, 111, -369
October 2018 - 480, 164, -316
November 2018 - 480, 238, -242
December 2018 - 480, 332, -148
January 2019 - 480, 148, -332
February 2019 - 480, 197, -283
March 2019 - 480, 266, -214
April 2019 - 480, 379, -101
May 2019 - 480, 221, -259
June 2019 - 480, 439, -41
July 2019 - 480, 570, +90 (yay!)
August 2019 - 480, 787, +307 (double yay with thanks to LRU!)
September 2019 - 550, 462, -88
October 2019 - 550, 327, -223
November 2019 - 550, 364, -186
December 2019 - 550, 636, +86 (yay!)
January 2020 - 550, 433, -117
February 2020 - 550, 401, -149
March 2020 - 550, 380, -170
April 2020 - 550, 381, -169
May 2020 - 550, 210, -340
June 2020 - 550, 395, -155
July 2020 - 550, 393, -157
August 2020 - 550, 388, -162
September 2020 - 550, 434, -116
The total "gap" in numerical form, since the bookstore opened in 2018, is 4,613 books short of goals for the number of books needed to be sold. IF each book represented $1, that would be a lot of missing revenue. The tough thing is that each book represents much more than just $1.
"Why haven't you already closed the bookstore?" you may ask next. Because I believe in how much our community needs a bookstore and I believe that others feel the same way. Because I have a vision for how the bookstore will grow, the free-to-the-public programs I want to offer that will enhance our community, down to the youngest of readers and writers, building a foundation for lifelong learning, love of reading, and storytelling. I have an amazing partner who is working four paying jobs so I don't have to walk away from this dream, this bookstore, and this community, and so I can volunteer my time to keep growing the bookstore into what it is meant to become.
What Created The "Gap"
As you can see, the gap began before COVID-19, but COVID-19 has had a significant impact of it's own. One major result of COVID-19's influence on the state of things is that the author events held at the bookstore and off-site at community partners (county libraries, local churches, and Lenoir-Rhyne University) have changed or ceased. Book sells at these events were crucial for helping the bookstore get closer to the needed number of book sells each month (and even bumped us over the goal two months in July and August 2019!). Not having these monthly events has been a challenge.
Another influencing factor, and one that existed pre-COVID-19, is the seeming convenience of purchasing books online from retailers that offer lower prices. Independent bookstores aren't selling higher priced items as well to offset the loss when selling books significantly below the wholesale cost of the books. Shoppers buy online through programs like Amazon's Smile program that donate a terribly small portion (one half of a percent!) back to registered non-profits, in the hopes that this will send money to the non-profits they love, while my bookstore is supporting local non-profits and schools in more significant ways through direct donations, donations of goods (books, merchandise, and gift certificates), and sponsorships of programs and events, all without requiring purchases from those asking. But this idea of lower book prices coupled with helping a non-profit they care about draws shoppers to venues other than their local independent bookstore, who happens to also donate and sponsor community programs and organizations AND often offers some sort of discount or sale on books and merchandise year-round.
Normal new-business-ness also contributed. What I mean by that is I am not ignorant to the normal growth in awareness that has to happen when a new business comes to town. For the bookstore, that has been a slow growth. I can see it, though, in the increasing numbers of first time shoppers to the store. I can see it as repeat customers are referring others to the bookstore. The new location makes the bookstore more predominant and that was one of the "pros" on the list when considering the move to a bigger space last year. So, people are finding us and awareness is happening. But again, it has been slow and some of the gap is because of this.
Adapting to Survive
You may wonder "well have you done anything to adapt?". The answer is YES! While I'm not able to host in-store events and free-to-the-public happenings at this time (because even though the current space is larger than the original space, it is still small and not spacious enough to host more than 4-6 people safely), I'm partnering with the Community House for a low-cost event space option where we can spread out safely. I launched a new eCommerce shopping portal in March and now readers can buy books from us from around the US in support of the bookstore. I've partnered with Bookshop.org to try to connect with the shoppers who like to order online but haven't found our direct eCommerce website yet (our direct website has a greater positive impact on our bottom line than Bookshop.org does).
I offer curbside/front door pick up. I run specials on shipping costs (meaning I pay part of the shipping) to entice folks to continue shopping with us if they prefer not to come out in public and crowds. My bookstore/bookseller professional associations offer amazing online/virtual events and I'm partnering with them to continue to connect readers to the writers they love. I've applied for grants and loans and programs of financial support for which I'm eligible, and keep applying even after I continually hear "no" or "not funded".
On a personal note, I was working a part time job, teaching online as an adjunct professor, until COVID-19 required more faculty members to be trained to teach online, eliminating the need for adjuncts to teach online courses. And as I mentioned above, I have an amazing partner who is working four paying jobs so I don't have to walk away from this dream, this bookstore, and this community, and so I can volunteer my time to keep growing the bookstore into what it is meant to become. But the time has come to ask the community for help for the bookstore to continue to survive.
Parting Words
Thank you for reading this, for sharing the link to it with others, and for considering making a donation in support of the bookstore. I'm fighting for the survival of the bookstore and my dream, but also for each of you who loves having a bookstore in our community. I'm fighting for every author already published and every author not yet published who have stories to tell and share with world. I'm fighting for every reader who wants to see themselves as the hero in a story or needs to see themselves as the hero in a storybook so they can believe they can be the hero in their own life's story. Thank you for showing up here and for helping.
Organizer
Angela Shores
Organizer
Morganton, NC