Real estate developer—cum— bookseller Peter Bobeck's dream is close to becoming a reality. His latest project, Mitchell Books, in Fort Wayne, Ind., opened its doors on July 19, with its official grand opening scheduled for August 27. The bookstore could become a business model for other independent booksellers wanting to provide a viable alternative to big box retailers.
The 22,000-sq.-ft. space is practically a village, providing a range of merchandise and services. Besides retailing books, CDs and DVDs in the 18,000-sq.-ft. book area, Mitchell Books contains a bistro; a cooking demonstration kitchen; a 60-seat movie theater; a performance space in an atrium in the center of the store; a travel area (situated inside the two-story bow of a cruise ship) offering travel books, maps, luggage, accessories and other travel-related items; and even a mind/body/spirit area modeled after Chicago's Transitions Marketplace.
Bobeck has big plans for his new venture. "We'll have movie nights and a film/lecture series, as well as dinner theater. People will be able to come in and watch a movie like The Godfather. Afterwards, someone will talk about the movie. And we can serve a gourmet Italian dinner," he said.
Garden Replanted
The venture is also unusual in that it has effectively merged a 6,000-sq.-ft. children's bookstore into its operation. Bobeck hired veteran booksellers Debbie Stafford and Kim Moppert, the co-owners of Mr. McGregor's Garden, a local children's bookstore that closed June 30, to manage Mitchell's children's section. Stafford and Moppert's staff of 10 are all of their employees from Mr. McGregor's Garden. Bobeck also bought out Mr. McGregor's Garden's inventory and fixtures.
"It's a wonderful opportunity," Stafford told PW. "We've been in business for 15 years. My partner and I were ready for a change. We wanted less responsibility, though we wanted to continue doing the same kinds of things. Mitchell is such an incredible store. It has a castle, a tree house and lots of room for inventory. We can display all the books we had no room to display at Mr. McGregor's Garden. It's a win for him and a win for us, a wonderful merger."
The Coolest Store
Bobeck estimates that the total cost for building and stocking Mitchell Books has run close to $2 million. "It's not a cheap endeavor," Bobeck told PW. "I hope this is the coolest store to open in the United States this year."
The anchor store in Covington Plaza, Mitchell Books is in a space that had been occupied for 11 years by Million Story Books. Dave Kaverman, the owner of Million Story Books, closed his store one year ago this month, citing irreconcilable differences with his landlord, Duane Bobeck, Peter Bobeck's father.
After Million Story Books closed, Peter Bobeck moved from Las Vegas back to Fort Wayne.
"We wanted to keep a bookstore in that space," Bobeck told PW. "It's a very important component of the kind of shopping center we are. My previous experience with a resort development company was helpful in inspiring me to devise a bookstore of interest to a great variety of people."
Creating a Landmark
Mitchell's initial book inventory is 60,000—70,000 titles, with Bobeck expecting to expand eventually to 90,000 titles. "It's difficult just to sell books, especially when you're a larger store," Bobeck said. "As a larger store, you have to buck the trend. There are landmark stores like the Tattered Cover that have people going there all the time—they're in the habit of doing so. We're starting out fresh, so we have to create a whole new format. The idea is that we'll become an icon in the community, along the lines of Tattered Cover."
"If someone wants to run a large bookstore, they need something to attract people," he continued. "The company I worked for previously always preached, 'you have to create an experience.' We'll offer the best experience, as well as compete price-wise with the chains and with the other big box retailers. Mitchell's a community gathering place. It's a bookstore with departmental aspects. What we've done is create a lifestyle store, an entertainment center."
Generating Traffic
Bobeck insists that his store will not compete with other local businesses. "We're the owners of this plaza, so the idea is not to just create a great store, but to create traffic," Bobeck said. "There is absolutely minimal overlap with other businesses in the area. The last thing I want to do is compete with my other tenants.
"Mitchell Books is all about celebrating art," Bobeck continued. "Its primary focus is written art, but we're celebrating art in all its forms in an interactive environment. People can go to Mitchell Books three different days and have three different experiences. We want this store to be a real focal point for Fort Wayne. And when authors see our facility, they are going to love coming here to speak!"
Correction: Last week we noted the Muze Book database had 1.5 million titles in it. Muze actually contains more than five million titles.
