Evolution of a Bookshop

Locals have seen Tannery Books move through different phases since I opened the doors on March 11, 2011. This article on Think Creative Collective outlines the business history of the bookshop as a bricks-and-mortar shop, a small cooperative, pop-up shops, and a permanent booth in an antique mall.

Here are a few pictures and links to go with that history.

Tannery Books - May 2011

Shopping center storefront

A rented space, with a lot of work to do. More about getting ready here and here, but without pictures.
Paint and carpet and getting ready
Opening Day - Boy, does the shop look empty!
My temporary assistant, "the little bookseller" (He's grown quite a bit since this picture!)
Tannery Books at one year (still a little sparse looking)

Book signings
Karen McCollough and my "Mystery" window dressing
Dale Crotts with thrillers
Jennifer Hudson Taylor with Quaker fiction

Partnership or mini-co-op

In 2013, Kathy Carter of Cat's Cradle Books and I teamed up to share the bookshop space with our two separate businesses. Not only did we split the bills, but shared the workload (we both had small part-time jobs), and the inventory of books doubled. Although the small-town bottom line forced us to close later that year, it was a wonderful experiment. A successful online seller, Kathy got to try out a physical shop without long-term leases and such, and I learned a lot from her experience.

Combining shops - February 2013

Pop-up shops

GenFest in 2012
Village Fair in 2012
StellarCon in 2013
Mendenhall Village Fair in 2013

Antique mall or co-op

My first half-booth, 2015
Full-size booth: Tannery Books' fifth anniversary and Star Trek premiere, both in 2016.

Tannery Books booth at Bush Hill Trading Post - April 2017

Who knows what the future holds? Today's world of bookselling requires constant adaptation. If you'd like to follow along, go to Tannery Books website, scroll down and sign up for monthly e-mails.