Veteran's Journey to a Community Bookstore

As long as I can remember, I have had a strong affinity for reading. Comics, paperbacks, fiction, nonfiction, I read it all. Heck, my mother tells me that she used to find me reading from the encyclopedia by the fireplace. Be it on the bus ride to school, lazing by the maple in the back on a warm sunny day, or under the covers at night with a pocket flashlight, I have always had my nose in a book.

We all grow up. I found myself at Michigan State University majoring in the life sciences, but upon reflection, my favorite classes were not biochemistry or neurophysiology, but rather medieval European history and "Literature and Science." As a side note, "Literature and Science" was, and possibly still is, an entire course that counted towards my graduation requirements and focused exclusively on science fiction. I had no idea such a class existed and cherish that there were people out there championing science fiction, which has always been one of my favorite genres.

The twin towers were hit my senior year. Instead of heading off to medical school as initially planned, I enlisted. In part because of a deep compulsion to serve, but also in part because I had the notion (perhaps foolishly) that I should be a scholar among warriors. Of course, the idea for this came from something I had read. So I served 12 years in the U.S. Army as a medic and nurse. I came home, started working in the OR as a neurophysiologist, did good things, helped people, but then decided to go to law school. I know, it seems odd, but I did it.

During law school, I went through a divorce, which subsequently led to financial challenges. At that time, an opportunity presented itself to help a charity through selling books that were donated to them. This is where it really started, as what I thought were just a few books turned out to be pallet after pallet of donated materials. This was the seeding of a fifteen-year journey that has led us to this moment, here, right now. I have spent the last fifteen years continually selling books and comics on the side for a little extra cash. This side hustle has grown slowly but steadily.

Fast forward to this past August, when I was unexpectedly laid off. Amongst the general worries of "ok, now what?" My wife (also a bibliophile) and I looked around and realized that everything that we need is already provided for us - I just needed to get to work. You see, over the past decade or so I have slowly built up inventory in the hopes to one day realize my simple dream. We (because, most assuredly, my wife is involved in this endeavor as well) currently already have the inventory on hand, numbering in the tens of thousands, ready for a brick and mortar storefront. With in excess of 5500 pieces already listed on our eBay store, we are well on our way to making the dream a reality.

We envision a place where we can share our love of reading. Not only that, but a place where we can host book club gatherings. A place that is safe for everyone to come to and be their authentic selves, find what they love, and dive in between the pages with a smile. The work will still be work, don't get me wrong, but it will be work where we happily shoulder the burden with a joie de vivre.

Now, here is where you can help! We are not asking much from any one person individually, but as a community help us ease the financial burden of getting this business off the ground. Where is this money going? A few places! Rent, signage, initial advertising, insurance, all that good stuff. Oh, and apparently, you need a lot of shelving for a bookstore. Who knew?