The Bluebird, the Rose, and now...the Bookseller(s)

A few years ago, I attended an event honoring Russell Banks as the New York State author, and Billy Collins as the New York State poet. In Russell Banks' remarks, he said that he felt a bit like a bluebird or a rose, because the bluebird is the state bird and the rose is the state flower, and he was being named the state author. He paused, then said 'And I think that bodes well for our breed'.

I always remember this story with fondness, and I've dwelled on it a lot these past few days. Booksellers are a certain 'breed' of people, born to do it, who take naturally to it. I have spent years in books (15!!!); both as a bookseller in stores, and in my current job as a sales rep for a publisher (which, to answer the question before -or as- it's asked...I am totally keeping!). I can't imagine doing anything else, really.

I found a kindred spirit in that sense. Jessica was born to be a bookseller too, and when I realized that, it made me want to talk to her about a partnership.

So. The 'Jessica and Rebecca' backstory is:

One night I overheard her talking about the bookstore project at an author dinner (quick plug - the dinner was for Michael Greenberg and his wonderful book Hurry Down Sunshine, published by Other Press. It's a literary memoir...so good! Beautifully written! Not always an easy read, but such an important one).

It was a magical night. The setting, the people, the book, the author, the conversation, even the weather agreed with us. And as I thought back on the evening after I got home, I recalled Jessica's passion for her project, and I recalled the kindred feeling I got listening to her.

And I thought to myself, it can't hurt to talk to her, right? I've always been too chicken to go the bookstore route on my own but the thought of partnering with THE RIGHT PERSON was truly appealing. So talk we did. We set up a coffee date, and another, then another. We continued to talk more and share more, and inch closer and closer to our big decision, which we just made a few weeks ago, in perfect timing for the party.

And WOAH. What a fantastic party that was. Talking about it with people over the past few days, I am hearing things like 'The community support for this is amazing. I have never seen anything like it'. And another person will chime in and say 'Me neither'. Or, 'Hearing all this just gave me shivers'.

Ooh! And someone just emailed me and said (after reading the NYT piece) 'WOW--that story just brought tears to my eyes!'

So, kudos to the amazing community of people in Fort Greene, who rallied together for a bookstore. I am in awe of you and am so glad, and excited, to be a part of this.

The New York Times, and party pics!

The lovely Susan Dominus of the New York Times city section has posted a great article about the FGIBI bookstore party, and my quest, here:

"A Woman Dreams of Opening a Bookstore, and Defying the Trends"

I'll admit it's made me a bit useless at work: look everyone, I'm in the Times! I promise I'll chill out about it in a day or two, but it's not every day this happens to a book nerd...

The picture from the Times is great, since it includes so many of the people who have supported this project: Sharon from the FGIBI is the one I'm hugging, and behind us are Rebecca (of course), Toby from Three Lives, Sean from Parson Weems, Christine and Vinnie from Word, Hillary from the FGIBI, and Stewart from good ol' McNally Jackson.

And there are more pictures of the party now online! Rebecca's friend, the author Jami Attenberg, has posted a whole slew of them here on Flickr. Lots of my favorite people are in those pictures, as well as lots of wonderful local book people I don't know yet -- check it out!

More to come, I'm sure. This week and next week we're doing our best to contact everyone who expressed their support in writing through the survey -- so expect to hear from us soon if you haven't already.

And THANK YOU all so much again!

Just the numbers...

I'm still afterglowing from last night's party. I'll hopefully have pictures and a full recap later this week, but here's the event by the numbers.

312: number of attendees that packed into the BAM Harvey Theater

3: number of award-winning Fort Greene authors in attendance (Jhumpa, Jennifer, and Colson all showed)

2: number of local politicians who shook my hand (Tish James and Velmenette Montgomery, woo hoo!)

2: number of local rock stars in attendance (Johnny Temple of Girls Vs. Boys and Craig Finn of The Hold Steady)

7500: dollars in small business loans offered verbally on the spot

250: amount of a donation check handed to me, no strings attached (from Chris Kerr of Parson Weems: you rock!)

as yet uncounted: number of surveys in the giant box, waiting to be counted and tallied for more offers of help

1: fabulous new business partner revealed: Rebecca Fitting, Random House sales rep! This is the one I've been telling you about -- we've been talking all summer, and we're out, we're ready, we're hitting the ground running. Rebecca will be blogging here herself later this week, so I'll let her tell you her side of the story. But we're so excited to be in it together.

8: number of members of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, who deserve all the credit for the event (Mike, Steve, Jon, Carolyn, Sharon, Tom, Hillary, Susanna, hooray!)

4: number of photographers telling Rebeecca and I and the FGIBI to "look here, just one more" -- could we feel any more like rock stars?

1: New York Times reporter who's writing about the event for the Friday Metro section

0: bites of food consumed by Rebecca and I during the evening (it was like a wedding, too much glad talking to eat)

dozens: number of book people discovered after-partying afterward at Moe's bar in Fort Greene

infinite: measurement of the love, joy, and goodwill from assembled booklovers; also the measure of thanks due to the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative for pulling this all together; also the measurement of our hopes for the future

Thank you all so much -- we'll keep you posted!

Today's the day!

... and I'm just trying to keep my head from exploding from anxiety, trying to remember everything, and complete and total joy.

Tonight's bookstore kickoff party at the BAM Harvey is going to be so off the hook (if I'm allowed to use that phrase as a card-carrying nerd). Food. Booze. Raw, sexy space. Colson Whitehead. Jennifer Egan. Kate Christensen. (Maybe) Jhumpa Lahiri. Fort Greeners. Book industry bigwigs. Friends. Loved ones. Supporters. Surveys to find out what YOU want from your bookstore.

And mad, mad media coverage. We've got Brooklyn 12, the Daily News, the Observer, New York Press, and yes, the New York Times herself coming to take photos and get the scoop. I am sure that I will look totally goofy; I hope they just listen to my words instead.

AND -- tonight is the night for a big announcement that will push the bookstore forward by a giant leap. I've hinted about it to some of you -- some of you know the secret -- and the rest of you will find out. This something (or someone?) is stone cold kick ass, and you're going to love love love.

Okay, I have to get back to work for a couple more hours before I start getting too excited and using more inappropriately street phrases. Can't wait to see you all tonight!

Tuesday's Bookstore Party: VENUE CHANGE!

Because of the overwhelming Fort Greene community response (i.e., we've had more RSVPs than the venue could handle), we've decided to change the location of Tuesday night's bookstore kickoff party to accomodate more people at the event.

The party will now take place in the lobby of the BAM Harvey Theater at 651 Fulton Street, between Ashland and Rockwell. (It's close to the DeKalb B/D/M/N/Q/R/W stop, or the Nevins Street 2/3/4/5. I recommend Google Maps or Hopstop.com for a map or further directions.)

The good news is, this means you can still RSVP! Just send an email to rsvp_fortgreeneindie@hotmail.com

The date and time of the party stay the same at Tuesday, September 16 from 7-9pm. Colson Whitehead will read one of his latest pieces at the party, and Jennifer Egan and Kate Christensen will be in attendance, as well as movers and shakers from the book industry and the Fort Greene community. And we've got the greenlight to make a really big announcement that brings the store closer to reality than ever!

BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music) is a neighborhood and a city institution, and the Harvey lobby is a big beautiful space -- I'm so excited to be there! So adjust your travel accordingly, and feel free to bring friends and loved ones. See you at a fabulous party on Tuesday night!

More press, and a little about being indie

More press today for the bookstore, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, and the party. Joyce Shelby of the New York Daily News wrote this great piece:

"Ft. Greene booklovers court indie bookstore with soiree, readings"

I like the quote she picked from me:

"The level of support expressed by this community, before the store has even opened, is completely unique in my experience in the book industry," Stockton Bagnulo said.

And the one from my co-conspirator Mike Gross is great too:

"We're very excited about an independent bookstore, locally owned, that can be flexible and responsive to the needs of the community," said Mike Gross. He's co-chairman of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative.

And I love the word soiree...


Additionally, the New York real estate blog The Real Deal has this post:

"Fort Greene wants new independent bookstore"

I'm grateful for their notice. But I do find it odd that they have the words "independent bookstore" link to a two-year-old article by Tyler Cowen in Slate about the "death of independent bookstores." Not only is the piece out of date, it kind of misses the point. I commented on the piece at the time on my Written Nerd blog; you can see my post here:

"Books, Blogs, and Anti-Indie Backlash"

The point of my post is that Cowen and others who have said snarky things about indie bookstores are right in one sense: being an independent doesn't make you a great bookstore, and there's no reason to look down on book lovers who don't have the option of shopping local. But I think independent bookstores have the potential to offer more than any chain bookstore or online option could ever give: community, culture, real live interactions with authors, the serendipitous discovery of a book you love at the suggestion of a knowledgeable bookseller, a distinctive and appealing space for browsing. And I think there is an ethical component to how we spend our dollars: when you support local business, local business thrives, making your neighborhood a unique place and putting more money back into local economies.

So I'm not too worried about Slate's doubtfulness. The readers of Fort Greene seem to know what they want, and what they want is an indie bookstore!

Catching up with Stimulating Reading

Back at the beginning of the summer I launched another branch of the bookstore fundraising efforts: a project called Stimulating Reading. The idea was that folks could donate their "Stimulus Tax" payment to the bookstore finances, as a way to really stimulate the economy (by opening a new business) and get something back, too. With the help of some designy, techie, and writerly friends, I set up the Stimulating Reading site, where you could choose from an array of rewards, NPR style, for your donations.

Several enthusiastic folks were game, and threw in anywhere from 50 bucks to their entire stimulus check. Their donations didn't reach the critical mass needed to sign a lease or buy inventory, but they did wonders for my morale, and helped that total tick ever higher. I'm inspired by those who gave. My grateful thanks to Andy, Jon, Carl, Brian and Marcela for your generosity and vision.

I knew those stimulus checks were trickling in over the course of the summer, so I've held off on sending folks their rewards in hopes that I could send everything at once. But now I'm ashamed that it's been so long -- those who have had faith in me deserve to see it rewarded. I'm sorting out the list today of who is owed t-shirts, bags, gift cards, signed first editions, etc., and I'll be mailing them out as soon as possible. My apol0gies to those of you who thought I might have scammed you (or that I'm just hopelessly forgetful) -- your rewards are on the way!

That doesn't mean it's too late to jump on the bandwagon, though. Stimulating Reading is still open for business, and now that I've got a system going there should be a smaller delay in you getting what's coming to you. Check out the site for an explanation of the idea and a list of the rewards. And consider doing some "stimulating" of your own!

Talk Talk Talk

I've realized that a big part of getting this bookstore going is just talking about it to everyone I know.

Talking to other bookstore owners about their experiences, their mistakes, their systems, their advice.

Talking to friends and colleagues about my dream bookstore, about all the possibilities as I figured out my plan.

Talking to industry people to find out what resources are available, what they know that might help, and how they might want to get involved.

Talking as per usual about the bookstore at a dinner party is what got me connected with my potential business partner (in our minds, it's official, but still potential in terms of signing papers, since there's some other stuff that has to be cleared up first -- don't worry, we'll tell you as soon as we can).

Talking was what got me connected with the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Alliance -- emailing, meeting, figuring out that we were the right fit.

And now I'm talking to everyone I know about the awesome party the FGIBI and I will be throwing on September 16.

It can be a bit hard to talk about: it's not exactly a grand opening, not exactly a fundraiser (though we're hoping it will inspire some folks to invest)... more like a rally, to get community folks linked in to this project, and tap into their knowledge about contractors, space, funding, and most of all, their own desires and shopping habits to make the bookstore fit the neighborhood.

I have gotten the chance to talk to some awesome folks who are excited to support:

Kate Christensen, Greenpoint-based, Pen Faulkner award winning author, and one of my favorites (In the Drink! The Epicure's Lament! The Great Man!), who has become a friend and supporter of the store, and promised to come to the party even though she's not a huge party person;

good friends like Toby Cox, who owns the first bookstore I ever worked in (the jewel-like Three Lives & Co. in the West Village) and is the first person I ever knew who lived in Fort Greene;

Eve Havliceck, the gracious owner of the condo-under-construction building and gorgeous, twenty-years-in-the-making landscaped back garden, where the party will be held (pics here on Brownstoner); she's offering her space for free, just because she'd like to see a bookstore in the neighborhood;

Jennifer Egan, another luminary Fort Greene based author (Look At Me, The Keep) who will grace us with her presence also despite a packed schedule;

Rebecca Fitting, our incomparable Random House sales rep, who's managed to finagle some pre-publication copies of Colson Whitehead's new book Sag Harbor for raffle prizes and is helping in myriad other ways;

Edwin Frank, editor of the New York Review of Books, who lives right next door to the party location; he's unfortunately out of town on party night, but is passing the invite along to friends and family and excited to support the bookstore;

Brigid Hughes, editor-in-chief of the fantastic literary magazine A Public Space, also an FG resident, who's hosted some great events and McNally, and will be attending;

Richard Nash, Brooklyn publisher of Soft Skull Press, who's excited to come and donating some signed books by local author and politico Kevin Powell;

Matt Weiland, Clinton Hill resident and Paris Review deputy editor, who's out of town touring with his new book State by State but will pass the invite on to his many literati friends, and is also full of suggestions for bookstore names after writing an introduction to the reissued Names on the Land;

Colson Whitehead, a brilliant author (The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, etc.), Fort Greene resident, and genius deconstructor of the Brooklyn literary mythos), who will class up the party by giving a brief reading;

... and so many more, and that's not to mention the FGIBI committee folks -- Mike, Jon, Steve, Carolyn, Sharon, Hillary, Susanna, and Tom, whom I talk to at least once a week (often much more) as we plan to make this happen. Fort Greene residents all, their dedication to this project (which is strictly volunteer) is inspiring, and I'm learning a lot from them.

Blogging is just another way of talking, for me -- it's why I started the first one, because I needed to talk about books and bookstores to more people. One recent article about me mentioned that I've "been very public about my plans," and I have to admit sometimes that makes me nervous -- what if someone misconstrues something I've said, or takes my ideas to use against me?

But at the risk of sounding a little mystical, I think we create the world we live in: you talk about something enough, it becomes so. That's not really magic -- talking just means that the idea gets planted in more heads, more connections get made, more possibilities open up. I plan to keep doing it, until the bookstore's open and much beyong -- talking to the community, after all, is what will keep us connected and vibrant.

Talk, after all, is just made of words. And words are what bookstores are built on.

Catching Up: Read all about it!

It is officially the end of my "fallow time" of rest and reflection, and I'm excited to jump back into the Brooklyn bookstore quest. Despite the break, lots has happened this month -- most importantly, the announcement of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative's fabulous party on September 16!

The awesome Fort Greene volunteers and I have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, and the work goes on: inviting authors, finding donations of food, drink, supplies, etc., and getting the word out. And I've gotten to do a number of cool interviews in the last couple of days with local papers who are understandably interested in this unique project. So I'll let those reporters (and bloggers) tell the story. Here's some of the press we've been getting, with my favorite quote from each piece. (I updated this list on Monday 9/8...)

Bookselling This Week: "Neighborhood Organizes to Help Make Bookstore a Reality"
"The Fort Greene Association is working with Stockton Bagnulo to help make her bookstore a reality. The group has created a flier announcing the Fort Greene Bookstore Initiative as well as a Bookstore Kickoff Party scheduled for September 16."

The Brooklyn Eagle: "Fort Greene Drafts ‘Book Nerd’ To Open Indie Store"
"Jessica Stockton Bagnulo is a woman who knows what she wants.... Now, residents of Fort Greene have essentially drafted her to open a bookstore for them and are throwing their full weight behind her dream."

The Brooklyn Paper: "Granted, she vows to open a bookstore"
"The winner of $15,000 grant to open a bookstore in Fort Greene says she is confident she can break the spine on her shop next year — and is hoping a “Bookstore Kickoff Party” can help her find more investors and get some juicy real estate tips."

ClintonHillBlog: "Fort Greene: Moving Towards a Bookstore"
"I heard about the potential plans to open a bookstore in the ‘hood months ago. Now, a local advocacy group is working with BK Library Power Up winner Jennifer Stockton Bagnulo to make this happen here!"

Gowanus Lounge: "Fort Greene Working to Get an Indie Bookstore"
"It seems like a statement of incredible optimism these days that a neighborhood would be working to get an indie bookstore... yet that’s exactly what Fort Greene is doing."

The New York Observer: "Hello, Brooklyn Literary 100! Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative Announces Launch Party"
"Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo, the events coordinator at the Nolita bookstore McNally Jackson, has been public about her intention to open a new independent bookstore in Brooklyn since at least January, when she won a $15,000 grant for the project from the Brooklyn Public Library. Since then, she seems to have zeroed in on Fort Greene as her neighborhood of choice, and the Fort Greene Association, which administered a survey to 380 locals and found that 74% of them wanted a bookstore in the neighborhood, is trying to help her make it happen."

Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn: "Ft. Greene Wants An Indie Bookstore And They're Doing Something About It"
"It's a movement. Not only do Brooklynites organize to protect and support a beloved literary institution but they also organize to make a new one happen!"

Racked New York: "Fort Greene Needs a Bookstore"
"Fort Greene is so DIY and literary!"

The Real Fort Greene: "Is a bookstore finally on the way?"
"It looks like eager neighborhood residents have recruited a self-described “book nerd” to open up a store. Now all Jessica Stockton Bagnulo needs is a location and capital."

Shelf Awareness: "Notes: Surviving and Thriving in a Difficult Economy"
"The result: with the support of the Initiative, Bagnulo, who is events and publicity coordinator at McNally Jackson Books in New York City and a graphic novel columnist for Shelf Awareness, plans to open a store in Fort Greene."


And there's more to come, from the Daily News, the Observer, and others. If you haven't yet, RSVP by email to get the scoop on the party night, or email me here if you want to know more.

I'll be updating you on what I've been doing to prepare on Monday. Have a great weekend!