Seems I missed a trick (or two) again... Peggy apparently started
looking to be bought-out/partnered over 6 months ago and it is only now
(after an acute health challenge?) that she seems to be on a mission to
sell or shutter in short order.
I'm futzing around with examples of people who have used GoFundMe
programs to rescue bookstores (financially) and it looks like some of
those were resounding successes. The key here is probably as much
finding someone(s) willing and able to manage such a store, even if
funds for it get raised. I have no idea of the magnitude of what she
needs to be released from this obligation she built over 40+ years.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/queen-of-book-mountain-writing-lifes-last-chapter/article_fc4ede6e-0ce4-11ed-b550-f774b8b7aed5.html
On 3/1/23 3:43 PM, Steve Smith wrote:
I was just in Book Mountain which has been operating in SFe primarily
as a paperback exchange since 1980 (just before I moved to the area)
and discovered that the owner, Peggy Frank intends to shut down,
probably sooner rather than later. Here is an article about her move
and rejuvenation of the store a couple of years ago:
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/book-mountain-alive-and-well-in-new-location/article_9003513a-3c8b-11ea-a81e-373351759896.html
The new digs and layout were a modest upgrade from what she had going
before, and has a somewhat wider range of books shelved now, though
the emphasis is still on high-turnover paperback. She has one of the
most extensive collections of Science Fiction I think you fill find
this side of Powells (Portland) or Tattered Cover (Denver).
I probably unloaded 1/4 of my "2 cords of books" leftover from *my*
bookstore (Hunt and Gather circa 2006) on her for trade (my credit is
much too large to begin to drain in the short term).
What I am hoping is that one of her customers or someone in the book
loving circle would swoop in and buy it outright. I have already
talked to some of the other booksellers in town and she has already
approached them offering to sell them her inventory, but the ideal
would be for it to remain a viable business. Her current
setup/inventory/curation works and is by far more valuable than the
mere inventory (which would need to be sorted, shelved, etc. again).
If anyone here knows of anyone suitable for taking on such an
operation I highly recommend it, but I suspect the time is short.
Peggy is just coming out of some health-challenges and I sense she
will not be willing/able to wait very long. I am holding out a slim
hope that one of the other used-sellers in SFe might pick it up as a
satellite (Op Cit already has had multiple locations).
In any case, spread the word if you can. Maybe there is a coop model
or multiple-partner arrangement that might keep it going and help
Peggy leave the business cleanly/gracefully.
- Steve
-. --- - / ...- .- .-.. .. -.. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom
https://bit.ly/virtualfriam
to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
archives: 5/2017 thru present
https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/
1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/
-. --- - / ...- .- .-.. .. -.. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Fridays 9a-12p Friday St. Johns Cafe / Thursdays 9a-12p Zoom
https://bit.ly/virtualfriam
to (un)subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
archives: 5/2017 thru present https://redfish.com/pipermail/friam_redfish.com/
1/2003 thru 6/2021 http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/
