At least for now, OurStory Books in Plainfield, N.J., is getting a second chance—thanks to its loyal patrons. In recent months, owner Andre Kelton told PW, the store was "suffering" due to slow business, and he began having second thoughts about keeping the store open. Before making the decision, he made a plea to his customers, via his 1,500-name e-mail list.
"I wrote, 'I'm thinking about closing the store—it's a tough time. If you want us to stay in business, e-mail us your pledge, and if we get enough, I might reconsider.' "
Kelton thought the plea might raise a few thousand dollars. But, in fact, after 10 days, the pledges totaled $11,000. So, he gratefully called in the pledges, and used the money to "pay off some key bills, catch up on the rent and purchase inventory for the holidays," Kelton said. "It was enough to keep us in business and to put some money aside."
As appreciative as he was, Kelton said that even more important than the money were the comments from customers. "Many said, 'We need you here—you're the only bookstore in the area.' Some people were unemployed, but still sent what they could." Located 20 miles south of Newark in a "somewhat affluent African-American community" of 50,000, the 1,200-square-foot store is in a six-store strip mall, and is the only bookstore in the city. Kelton previously owned a bookstore in New Brunswick for eight years.
Another frequent pledge comment was that customers wanted him to carry items other than books. Kelton, who currently stocks about 2,000 titles, plans to heed these requests by changing the product mix, "from 95% books and 5% gift items to 75% books."
Kelton, who runs the bookstore with his wife and one part-time employee, knows that this infusion of cash is a temporary fix, and that he needs to think of other ways to keep the customers coming. His twice-weekly e-mails to customers inform them of new releases. And customers who bring in the e-mail get a discount.
He predicts that he'll be "staying in fund-raising mode" for the foreseeable future, with a benefit dinner hosted by a local restaurant and a dance marathon at the store in the works. In addition, he is considering doing events off-site—such as book fairs and school-related events—that involve more community involvement and visibility. "I think we all learned a valuable lesson," he said. "Community is important."
