In this episode, we talk with Nancy Perot, owner of the independent bookstore Interabang, our sponsor, which was just named one of the top 5 bookstores in the country by Publisher’s Weekly. Nancy dreamed of owning a bookstore for nearly 25 years, and after just two years of operation, it was wiped out by a tornado. And that was just the beginning. Join us as we talk about committing to your dream, challenging conventional wisdom, and cultivating resilience.
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Transcript
Tricia: [00:00:03] Hey there. I’m Tricia Rose Burt, and I want to ask you a question. What creative work are you called to do but are too afraid to try? Are you in IT but dream of doing stand up? A PR exec who longs to write a screenplay? Did you change your priorities and now you want to leave your fully funded PhD/MD program and go to New Mexico and paint? Or maybe you’re like I was in my early career, trapped in a lucrative but soul crushing corporate job when what I really wanted to do was tell stories on stage. In this podcast, we’ll hear from artists who took unexpected leaps and found the courage to answer their creative call so we can inspire you to answer yours. This is no time to be timid. [00:00:50][47.3]
Tricia: [00:00:50] Welcome to the show. When I look for guests to have on the podcast, I’m looking for folks who’ve shown creative courage in whatever medium they choose to work in. Our guest today is no different. Nancy Perot is the owner of Interabang, a Dallas-based independent bookstore and the sponsor of this podcast. She’s also a dear friend, and we’ve supported each other’s creative endeavors for decades. When I was developing my one woman show, Nancy invited all her pals to come see me perform in her living room. When she opened Interabang, I stood next to her with a bunch of our friends celebrating her dream finally coming true. In the No Time to be Timid manifesto, we say there is courage in community. Nancy is an integral part of my community, and it’s because she’s so courageous herself. First, it takes guts to open an independent bookstore in a world rife with online retailers and ebooks. And second, in the past six years, the bookstore and Nancy have survived three catastrophic events that would make the rest of us take to our beds. Like a lot of artists, I find myself saying if I only had more financial resources, I could make my creative dreams come true. Nancy’s resources allowed her to open Interabang, but it’s her inner resources, her passion, commitment and most of all, resilience that keeps the bookstore going not only as a sustainable business, but also as one of the top five bookstores in the country as named by Publishers Weekly. Interabang is the perfect sponsor, and Nancy is the perfect guest for a podcast called No Time to Be Timid. I’m so glad you’re joining us. [00:02:33][103.0]
Tricia: [00:02:33] Hey, Nancy. Thanks so much for being on the show. [00:02:42][8.5]
Nancy: [00:02:42] Well, thank you for having me, Tricia. I’m delighted to be here. [00:02:45][2.8]
Tricia: [00:02:46] Well, you’re a perfect guest for this season, too, when we talk about what is required to be creative, those traits that keep us going and going through difficult things and building stamina and keeping the endurance going. But I want you to tell me when you decided to open a book store and why? [00:03:05][18.7]
Nancy: [00:03:05] I had always loved books and had grown up in a family where my mother read to us, took us to the local library, and I always loved bookstores. And then I was an English major in college and just was always drawn to literature and really beautifully written words. And so I always loved bookstores everywhere I’d go. And then one by one, of course, they all started to close because it is a it’s a tricky business. You have to be pretty determined and pretty creative and nimble to make it work. There aren’t huge margins in books, so it really has to be out of passion that you do it. And so there was an opportunity I had. I carried this little dream around for a long time, like maybe 20 years, and I’d inquired enough about it or maybe looked at spaces here and there, but somehow the word was out. Anyway, a fellow who moved to town who had been managing a bookstore and was looking for a partner, and so it was just like it was like, okay, be careful what you wish for, because when you get it, what do you do? And so but it was just perfect. So we started the store together in 2017. [00:04:02][57.7]
Tricia: [00:04:05] So you basically carried this dream around for 20 years? 25 years. [00:04:09][3.9]
Nancy: [00:04:09] I really did. And who knows why a dream is implanted in you, but it was really there. And so it is kind of remarkable that that little dream really came true. So I think one of my messages to people would be pay attention to that, whatever it is, because it’s deeply fulfilling to make a dream big or small really come true. [00:04:28][18.8]
Tricia: [00:04:29] So you may have been carrying this dream around for 20 or 25 years and that — it started before there was Amazon, before all the bookstores were closing, before there were eBooks. And yet you still went ahead and opened this bookstore. It feels a little bit like a David and Goliath story. So did you have any naysayers, like when you said, I’m going to do this? [00:04:49][20.0]
Nancy: [00:04:49] Yeah, there were a lot of naysayers and you don’t go into this business thinking that you might make a whole lot of money. You know, it’s not, you don’t go into it for a big profit. You go into it because it’s a business you love and you feel like it makes a real difference to a community. And I’m, to this day, six years later, I really not only believe that, I believe it more because I’ve seen how it happens and it’s so touching to me how many people just come up to me and thank me, you know, people who I don’t even know and just say thank you for having this bookstore here. No, it’s not for you know, it’s not for everyone, but for people who love bookstores, there’s nothing like an independent bookstore. I think they’re so personal. The curation of the books is very special. It’s very different. It’s like a boutique versus a department store. You know, I would say Barnes Noble is like a department store, and you go into a boutique and it’s like, Oh, everything’s here because it’s been thoughtfully chosen. It’s not you know, it’s not an algorithm or whatever that decided these are going to be the bestsellers, and this is what we’re going to spread across the country. And so and that, you know, it’s like any local business, they tend to have a lot more personality and the relationships. There’s a lot of personal relationships that develop between our booksellers and our customers. [00:06:00][71.2]
Tricia: [00:06:01] So but when people were saying, don’t do it, what were some of the reasons why they’re telling you not to do it? And what would you say back to them when they would say, Don’t do it? Because there are a lot of artists out there, there are a lot of creators out there. There are a lot of entrepreneurs out there who go in with this big idea, and they have to be careful because all these wet blankets will come along and try to squelch it. [00:06:19][18.3]
Nancy: [00:06:20] It was just something that I was so strongly compelled to do. It just didn’t discourage me from doing it. And I have to tell you, I’ve never, ever regretted a day of it. I mean, I’m just so grateful that this opportunity came together. It felt very serendipitous. I think you just have to stay tuned to the forces out there in the universe that are nudging you forward. There was certainly enough encouragement and enough people who who did encourage me and were so grateful. [00:06:48][27.7]
Tricia: [00:06:48] Yeah. [00:06:48][0.0]
Nancy: [00:06:49] And with some really good experienced booksellers, too. I mean, it really is like a whole profession of its own. You have people who have been in the book industry all their careers. That’s really all they want to do and they’re real specialists. And there’s it’s a it’s a very multilayered industry to be knowledgeable about how to connect with publishers and get the right inventory in and all that. There’s you you need people who are experienced in the field to pull it all off. And we managed to attract really wonderful career booksellers where we are. And I think our customers appreciate that. [00:07:21][32.5]
Tricia: [00:07:22] Okay, so you’ve got all these things that came together so you could create this fabulous bookstore. You’re open for two years, you’re doing well or you’re doing pretty well. [00:07:34][12.2]
Nancy: [00:07:34] Yeah, we were. [00:07:35][0.5]
Tricia: [00:07:35] Two years in. Yeah, doing well. And then so. What happened in October of 2019? [00:07:41][6.2]
Nancy: [00:07:43] Well, it’s in October of 2019. It was a Sunday night at about 630. Tornadoes came ripping through Dallas. [00:07:51][8.7]
Newscaster: [00:07:52] A powerful tornado touched down in north Texas overnight, causing widespread destruction, terrifying the tornado ravaged neighborhoods with winds exceeding 110 miles an hour. Several homes and businesses were destroyed. Many cars were tossed around like toys. [00:08:07][14.9]
Nancy: [00:08:08] In Texas and Oklahoma, you know, there tornadoes that always are kind of around. That’s not a novelty, but usually they’re far away in the country. This one came roaring right through the heart of the city of Dallas and the shopping center where the bookstore was just took a direct hit. It was right in the path of the tornado. [00:08:27][19.1]
Newscaster: [00:08:29] The storm knocked out power across Dallas County. At one point, affecting more than 100,000 people. And in the tornado’s wake, a trail of destruction. Throughout this area, for the last 3 to 4 hours, we have seen it all. Yes, a at least one tornado in Dallas. [00:08:46][17.3]
Nancy: [00:08:47] It just obliterated everything there. It was it was two years before they even could open that center again. But it was declared a FEMA emergency disaster zone. We could not ever step foot back in there. It was so dangerous. The walls came in, the roof came down and then the sprinklers came on. So if there was any hope of salvaging any books at all the sprinklers came on. And I don’t mean to laugh at the whole thing at the time, of course, is not funny, but it’s just so — who would have ever thought of all the things when you’re opening a bookstore that you might be the direct hit of a tornado? And but of course, nothing was salvageable. [00:09:27][40.0]
Tricia: [00:09:28] Like not one book. Like, not one anything. [00:09:30][2.0]
Nancy: [00:09:30] Not one. Like The Gap on the Corner. There were clothes and shirts found in people’s yards for miles away. I don’t think anyone ever said they found a book. Maybe they were too heavy. I remember getting a phone call and it was just like it was really surreal. I was just so grateful that nobody was hurt. We had just closed on that Sunday night. A Dallas Cowboy game was going on, and so I think people were off the streets, which sounds kind of crazy, but it was sort of miraculous. Not one person in the wake of this devastating tornado where houses were destroyed and neighborhoods were destroyed. Nobody in the city was killed and there were some minor injuries, but nobody was killed. So you really just it just it’s all perspective, I think. Sometimes I think keeping going is keeping the right perspective. You thought, all right, this was not my home. This was not, nobody I care about, you know, was hurt. Okay. We’ve just got to pick up and move on. [00:10:28][57.1]
Tricia: [00:10:28] First of all, there’s a couple of headlines that I loved. I can remember it saying that the tornado came through Dallas, that it met the force of nature in the form of Nancy Perot, because I guess because a month later, you had opened. [00:10:45][16.4]
Newscaster: [00:10:46] The tornado that tore through Dallas at Preston and Royal, destroyed Interabang Books. But what this bookstore has is a force behind it almost as powerful as Mother Nature. Store owner, Nancy Perot. [00:10:57][11.2]
Nancy: [00:10:58] We did. And, you know, it never dawned on me not to open it again, which is funny. It just didn’t even dawn on me. It’s like, whoa, we’ve got to go find a new space. And I think some of that, of course, had to do with the employees that were dependent upon me. You know, it wasn’t just me that this was affecting. It was 13 or 14 employees that really depended on this for their livelihood. So it never dawned on me not to reopen. And it was also very touching. The community of book lovers in Dallas, all like should we start a Go Fund Me? An upswell of support was so touching and that really was great wind, you know, underneath our wings for sure to see, to see how much — that was what was touching is how in such a short time, how valued the store really was by the book lovers of our community. Yeah. [00:11:50][52.2]
Tricia: [00:11:51] So there’s a wonderful quote, though, about you in the paper that said they described you as confident and resilient and like a quarterback that doesn’t get flustered. Oh, I loved that. But when you think about those of us who are creators of I mean, your medium happens to be a bookstore, others mediums or, you know, whatever we’re doing, whether it’s a performance piece, whether it’s a theater piece, whether it’s an art show, whatever we’re doing, you have these moments when it’s like, okay, that didn’t go as planned at all, and how do I pivot and what do I do? And you have that decision of will do I just close it down or do I keep on going? Yeah. And that’s that moment where you kind of find out what you’re made of sort of or how committed you are to that project. Yeah. Am I so committed that I’m going to overcome that? Which brings me to…so you’re up and running a month to the day after the tornado hit. So that’s November of 2019. And then we all know what happened in March of 2020. So then you get COVID. [00:12:51][60.0]
Nancy: [00:12:51] Oh, my gosh. [00:12:52][0.4]
Tricia: [00:12:53] And how did you navigate COVID then? [00:12:55][2.2]
Nancy: [00:12:55] When we moved into this new space, too, I think we went to IKEA and we, you know, found secondhand bookshelves. I mean, the store did not it did not look great, but we just pulled it all together. And so we’d been busy reordering all of that stuff. And then COVID hits. [00:13:13][17.3]
Newscaster: [00:13:14] 20% of independent bookstores across the country were in danger of closing. So far during the pandemic, 52 stores have closed — an average of more than one per week. [00:13:22][8.3]
Nancy: [00:13:23] I mean, that was just the strangest time for all of us, wasn’t it? I mean, just. But how to navigate that once it really started, because you had to be really creative. You wanted to keep people’s jobs steady, of course, because that was the most important thing is how it would impact our employees. But also, you had to protect them at this very unknown stage of that pandemic. Nobody knew how it was transmitted. We went to curbside service. We also really pivoted to online ordering and really pushing for that. And there were a lot of people, naysayers who said, oh, you’ll never be able to get the online ordering, don’t even try it, an independent bookstore because everyone’s so accustomed to Amazon. Well, that’s not true. You know, I think I would say to people, don’t don’t be afraid to challenge what is considered conventional wisdom. I mean, that just wasn’t true. Our customers really, really wanted to support us. And so we did a big campaign for online ordering and, you know, curbside delivery and all that. And so we limped along. I mean, it wasn’t easy because a big part of our business is author visits. And we had over 250 author visits last year, as a matter of fact. And so and that completely shut down. So it wasn’t it wasn’t a great time, but that we we were able to get through it, thanks in huge part to our, you know, to our community and our loyal booksellers who I think really did appreciate our commitment to them, too. [00:14:48][84.7]
Tricia: [00:14:49] Is that when the Interabang van came on the horizon? [00:14:51][2.2]
Nancy: [00:14:52] You know, I don’t think it was directly because of COVID, but we it was somewhere in there. Yeah. Our mobile billboard. [00:14:57][5.4]
Tricia: [00:14:58] Yeah. In episode four of season one, creative coach Mark McGuinness was my guest and he was talking about how there are so many different ways to be creative in so many different mediums. And that’s why I keep saying the bookstore right now for you is your medium. And so one way to to keep the story going was to have you have this van that goes out there. Tell a little bit about what the van does. [00:15:20][22.3]
Nancy: [00:15:21] So we really just use it when we’re going to offsite events, which is pretty regularly, though we actually probably have at least three or four a week offsite as well as those that are in the store. So it’s a it really someone said the book business is kind of an event business really. I mean, we have so many events all the time. So it really is is for deliveries. But sometimes I said, let’s just get out some everybody just take a turn getting in there. Going to pick up your lunch in it. Let’s just keep, you know, keep driving around the neighborhood so people know we’re alive and well and anyway always trying to find new customers. So, yes, while people might not think of the bookstore business is like creative, like being an artist, you have to be really creative to keep the business viable. When you are kind of an underdog in this online world and you have to be endlessly thinking about what do people want, what will appeal to them, what what brings our customers in? And so there’s a lot of in maybe not conventional creativity, but a lot of creativity of thought, kind of ingenuity. How do we bring new people in and how do we try to make this work? And it takes a lot of creativity and thought to to be nimble and to to always be thinking of new ways to draw new customers in. [00:16:36][74.9]
Tricia: [00:16:36] Well, that’s exactly what artists do. We are unbelievably resourceful people. And so that’s what you’re having to be through all these things is, is okay, how can I best use the resources I have? How can I turn this into something else? And I mean, it’s just that constant idea of how do I expand my resources? When I don’t have a lot of resources? You know, how can I create something? How do you push past the limits? [00:16:59][22.9]
Nancy: [00:17:01] Or roadblocks. Roadblocks. Yeah. [00:17:01][0.6]
Tricia: [00:17:01] And that conventional thinking that says, don’t try. No one will ever go online. [00:17:04][3.0]
Nancy: [00:17:05] Yes, exactly. Because that proved not to be at all true. [00:17:08][2.7]
Tricia: [00:17:08] So it’s March of 2020 is COVID and then February of 2021. What happens then? [00:17:16][7.6]
Nancy: [00:17:16] Oh, my gosh, Snowmageddon. Everyone calls it in Dallas. When the freeze, that crazy freeze and the whole electrical grid shut down and Dallas was without electricity for a full week and it was very cold. [00:17:34][17.5]
Newscaster: [00:17:35] Back to back winter storm slamming the country. Texas has been especially hard hit. Millions there are without power, water or heat amid some of the coldest temperatures in over 100 years. [00:17:45][10.4]
Nancy: [00:17:47] One of our customers texted, I think there’s water in the bookstore. And I was like, Oh, no, because you don’t really want water on the floor of the bookstore. And I, I went over there, you know, on the hazardous icy roads, and I walked in and there were about four inches of water covering the entire bookstore. And the shop next door, their pipes had broken because pipes broke all over town when they when this sudden hard freeze that lasted for so long. So the little shop next door flooded the bookstore and there was no no electricity. So we couldn’t even get a shop vac to get the water out of the bookstore. Amazingly, though, the books weren’t damaged. We were worried about the humidity. The books weren’t damaged. But our brand new bookshelves that had finally arrived, all of our fixtures that line the walls and we’d waited months for. They they you know, they’re made of particleboard too much information. But they absorbed all of that water like a sponge, and they were all destroyed. At this point, our insurance company fired us because I know they decided after a tornado and a flood, we can’t. I mean, who would have thought that a bookstore was a high risk insurer? But once again, we had to get all new fixtures. But again, it’s it’s all about perspective. It’s like, okay, it’s not my home. Nobody was hurt. Our fish tank didn’t fare so well without the electricity. But poor little fish, I’m afraid. But we just again you just kind of have to put your head down and just kind of push through it. [00:19:24][97.0]
Tricia: [00:19:24] Well, I’m going to challenge you there because not everyone would put their head down and just push through it. They just wouldn’t. But when this storm flooded, was there a moment of you going, I’m just calling it a day here? [00:19:41][16.6]
Nancy: [00:19:41] Well, when one funny writer said, I think all of the horses of the apocalypse have visited you all. And I thought that was really funny. And I did at one point they think, okay, God, am I not supposed to have this bookstore? Is this, are you trying to send me some kind of, you know, some signs from the heavens? But ever since that things have been pretty smooth and and it’s the first normal year we really had was last year. It did seem strange that these three sort of catastrophic things had happened within such a short time of each other. But again, I just it goes back to perspective. And also my parents were both really resilient people. And I think when you just feel like you’re doing the right thing and it’s serving people well, and especially when you have people dependent upon you, employees, I think you just kind of know what you need to do. And a friend said, and I thought it was a great line when you’re in your lane, there is no traffic. And I thought, Oh, that’s a really interesting line because I do feel that way somehow with the bookstore, although that we have had some strange hurdles thrown at us, that we were always able to figure out a path forward. And I guess just giving up was just never an option to me. Now I don’t want to tempt fate and say, you know, let’s hope nothing else happens for a while. It’s like, if ever. But ah, nothing catastrophic on that level. I mean, of course every day they’re, you know, little issues big and small, but this was just such a clear path forward. You either called it quits or you figured out how to move forward. And and like I said, I think my my parents are both very resilient people. And set a good example for us, too. And so I guess that’s a big part of it. But I think for a really creative person, just to tap into those inner resources and and don’t give up on what you really love, because although I have done other things in life that were probably someone would say, well, maybe, you know, more important or whatever, this is the most joyful thing I’ve ever done and the most deeply satisfying. And I would you wouldn’t say it has the biggest impact on the world, but but it does have an impact. And like I said, it’s just it has brought me more joy than, I mean, raising my children brought me the most joy. But this has has just brought me a deep, deep sense of purpose and joy. And I’m so I’m so grateful for it. And so that would be my encouragement to anyone who is being discouraged about a creative pursuit is the joy that it will bring you is so worth the journey. [00:22:16][154.8]
Tricia: [00:22:40] We’ll get back to the second half of our conversation in a moment. But right now, I want to tell you about our sponsor Interabang books, a Dallas-based independent bookstore with a terrific online collection. At Interabang, their dedicated staff of book enthusiasts will guide you on your search for knowledge and the excitement of discovery. Shop their curated collection online at interabangbooks.com. That’s interabangbooks.com. Stay with us through the end of the episode to receive a special online offer. [00:23:16][35.9]
Tricia: [00:23:31] You have an incredible outreach. It’s not just selling books. You have a mission and a margin. I mean, this is, you have created a sustainable business. This is not a vanity project. This is a sustainable business that’s working. And outreach is a very important part of what you do. So I think it’s also important for us as creators and artists to see the ways that we can give back, how we can make a difference, how we can, you know, even as we pursue what we’re trying to do, whatever it might be in the studio, what we can also give to others, how it comes back around and serves us when we’re serving other people, how it comes back and serves us. [00:24:07][35.9]
Nancy: [00:24:07] Absolutely. I do think for the store there is a huge community service aspect of it and we do it a lot. Of course, we have all of our author events and things which are free, and I think those all in really enrich the community greatly and the best, it brings these authors to Dallas. And so it’s enriched the whole literary scene in Dallas. And that’s that’s an important role that independent bookstores play is this…Publishers send the authors out on tour and they stop really at independent stores. And they love the independent bookstores because we’re the ones who are really selling their books. We’re talking them up. We’re recommending them to their readers, where a lot of hand selling going on to people who come in, but also through our newsletter and all that. We have a really wide reach and so we can have a big impact on the success of an author. And we do a lot with our local schools where twice a year we do a book drive for a wonderful organization called United to Learn that goes into the public schools in Dallas and the more underserved communities and really fills their libraries and supports the not only the physical plant, but all of the faculty needs and things like that. So twice a year we do a big United to Learn book drive. We try to partner with a lot of the literacy organizations in town. You know, there’s Readers to Leaders, there’s Catch up and Read. We’re always looking for creative ways to partner with them. We have in-store events where they get 10% of the proceeds kind of things. So we do a lot with the literacy groups. We also do school book fairs and it makes more sense these days. You know, in our day book Fair would come to the school. That’s very difficult to do with the way the book business is structured these days. And now we do in-store book fairs where the families come, you know, and the faculty and a percentage of the sales that night go back to fund the school’s library. [00:26:00][112.4]
Tricia: [00:26:00] Oh, okay. [00:26:01][0.2]
Nancy: [00:26:01] So we do a lot of different things like that. [00:26:03][1.9]
Tricia: [00:26:03] I know that you say that you’re you know, your parents were very resilient. Some of us were just born with being resilient. But how would one cultivate resilience? What are the tools to help you become even more resilient? [00:26:17][14.2]
Nancy: [00:26:18] Just to keep it in perspective. Like I said, I think for me to realize, all right, this could have been worse. People could have been really hurt. Like with the tornado, we could have lost employees. We could have you know, it could have been a really devastating thing. And so it’s like this is manageable. And I think, too, if you’re trying to cultivate resilience, you remind yourself of times where you did bounce back. You know, it does make you stronger. You know, I do believe that that if you navigate through something without giving up, you learn so much and then you’re stronger the next time for it. It’s kind of just that whole coming into touch with your inner resources and realizing that they’re vast and sometimes part of when we all grow up, we realize that we’re, you know, capable of so much more than we might have thought that we were. So I think it’s it’s never underestimating yourself and and finding inspiration in, you know, if it’s your faith, if it’s your friendships, you know, do not be afraid to draw on whatever resources of support, I think to identify those those resources that fill you back up or that you can lean on in time of need. And I think it is a defining moment as how you let your setbacks define you. And so I think it can either make your life better and you can push on stronger. I mean, some things are just so devastating. Of course, it would take anyone, you know, a while to ever bounce back. But but I just think to to try to figure out a way to not to ignore it, but kind of learn all the lessons that whatever that particular experience has to offer and then move forward is what I try to do. [00:27:56][97.8]
Tricia: [00:27:57] What’s the reward of just moving ahead with your dream? I mean, literally you were told, why would you have this dream in the first place? And then you then you had it and you had these three major catastrophic things, plus just the ins and outs of trying to run a business, which is hard to do. What is that reward of moving ahead with your dream? Even when other people were saying. [00:28:18][21.2]
Nancy: [00:28:19] You know, I think the reward is to just look around and realize that you’re that you’re really adding pleasure, enjoyment, enlightenment to people’s lives. And, you know, we have these story hours and all the little children come in. I mean, it’s a very joyful business. And the interesting thing is it’s it’s not as though it’s always my circle of friends. It’s most of the time it’s people I’ve never seen before. And that’s that’s really touching, I think, for any creative person to realize that their art has an impact on a community far beyond what they think they might have reached. And so that’s that’s very satisfying to look around and see this really worked and that it is a sustainable business. And we did have to work very hard to make it so, because you you can’t just you just have to work at it every day trying to figure out how to how to keep this business viable and relevant in people’s lives. And and also just the value of reading. You know, of course, I do think the imagery and just beautiful language is always inspiring. If it’s poetry, if it’s just beautifully written words, if it’s adventure, you know, I think that that that would I think would fill any artists well, a little bit or a lot. [00:29:39][79.7]
Tricia: [00:29:39] You’ve had these enormous things to overcome and starting a business when it may not other people may say, why are you starting this business right now? And you’re also breaking convention in a lot of ways in how you’re doing the bookstore. I mean, there’s so much about community, there’s so much about curating these special books. I mean, Ryan Raffaele at Harvard Business School, and he was saying independent bookstores such as Interabang are spearheading a renaissance because they break the mold on what’s expected. And so I thought that was just so fantastic because you are part of this renaissance and you are breaking a mold. And it’s a very creative thing to do. And with in a business that people may not think would be as successful as you’ve been able to make it. [00:30:24][44.7]
Nancy: [00:30:24] So well, you’re so kind. And I do think that, you know, I do always love to put in a good, strong plug for just supporting local businesses. I think in a smaller community that’s very obvious. But in a bigger city, I just think people underestimate how much not underestimate they take for granted sometimes that if they want those stores to remain, they really need to to support them because they just enrich a community so much, because they just have so much personality, they tend to reflect their local communities. One of my favorite parts of this business has been working with our local authors. We have fabulous local authors, and we’ve been able to do so much to really make their books a success. And so that’s one of my favorite favorite parts of all is we get we have amazing cookbook authors. We have Alex Snodgrass, who’s a New York Times bestseller. We have Jerry Smith, who wrote a book about her great aunt, who was one of the major forces behind the founding of Neiman Marcus. She was Jerry Marcus Smith. And we have Laura Wilson, the photographer who’s also the mother of Owen and Luke Wilson. And she’s and she has just come out with an amazing book about the authors. And she she spent about ten years interviewing authors from around the world, Pulitzer Prize winning authors and authors of that level. And it’s gorgeous book of photography. It was wonderful. We had events for her all over town that, of course, it sold all over the country. All these books are. But we’ve got these extraordinary local authors, and that’s been great fun to impact the community in that way and end up. Barnes and Noble couldn’t have done that. I think that’s where local businesses respond to the needs of their communities in very particular ways. [00:32:08][104.4]
Tricia: [00:32:09] So you also give the Republic of Consciousness Prize that honors small presses. [00:32:15][6.1]
Nancy: [00:32:16] Yes. [00:32:16][0.0]
Tricia: [00:32:16] Which I think is fantastic, because again, you’re supporting these artists who are, you know, these artistic presses that are trying to come up with more risk taking work. And you’re offering them support. [00:32:27][10.8]
Nancy: [00:32:28] Yes. And I take all of the credit for that goes to Laurie Feathers, who is our book buyer, who is also on the National Book Critics Circle. She’s very renowned in the book world. And it was her idea to start this Republic of Consciousness Prize. And that really is more her personal project. But it just aligns so well with everything that the bookstore is about. And we do feature these small presses because the important thing for people to know, I think, is that these are the voices of some really important authors would not be heard if it were not for these smaller presses and they’re not going to be able to get the attention of like a Penguin Random House. And so these smaller presses allow really successful authors, you know, the authors who later become very, very successful, to get a start. And so that’s why it’s so important to keep the many layers of the publishing industry really rich and strong, because they’ll only be able to publish kind of the big blockbuster authors. Supporting the small presses is critical. In the bigger picture, it’s hard to justify spending a dollar more for a book, but that dollar makes such a difference to the flexibility of the publishing industry. [00:33:37][69.0]
Tricia: [00:33:37] Your dream from 20 or 25 years ago, which you saw through, is now enabling other people’s dreams to come true. [00:33:47][9.3]
Nancy: [00:33:47] Yeah, no, that’s wonderful to say. And I think it is. And that’s a great feeling. [00:33:51][3.6]
Tricia: [00:33:52] Yeah. And it’s really wonderful. Nancy, I’m so delighted that you took the time to be on the show. I really appreciate it. And everyone, we encourage you to go to, obviously, this is our sponsor Interabang, and we encourage you to go to Interabangbooks.com. Nancy, thanks so much for being on the show. [00:34:07][15.1]
Nancy: [00:34:07] Yes. And please order lots of books and support your local bookstores because that just makes the whole industry flourish and it’s a great thing. Thank you, Tricia. I’m just honored to be here. And I’ve loved love getting to talk about this today. It’s so dear to my heart. So thank you. [00:34:23][15.5]
Tricia: [00:34:43] Nancy inspires me to keep going, even when it seems like the horses of the apocalypse are headed in my direction. And like all of my guests, she prompted me to ask some questions. First, what’s your dream? Have you committed to it, or are you letting naysayers keep you from experiencing all that joy? Second, in what ways are you challenging conventional wisdom? And finally, how do you cultivate your resilience? As a special gift to our listeners, Interabang Books is offering a 10% discount on your first online order. Fill your creative library! Go to interabangbooks.com, use promo code Not Timid, and receive a 10% discount. Again, that’s interabangbooks.com, promo code Not Timid. [00:35:33][49.9]
Tricia: [00:35:59] If you haven’t had a chance to download the No Time to be Timid manifesto yet, make sure to visit my website, triciaroseburt.com. And while you’re there, please reach out and give us some feedback about the show. We’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you feel like this is no time to be timid in your own life, then maybe I can help you with that. In my private coaching practice, I help my clients to tell and live better stories. Some of them are artists and creatives who want to express themselves in a new medium. Others are leaders who want to motivate groups to take action. And many of them are business professionals who want to better communicate with their customers and employees. You can reach out to me at triciaroseburt.com. Join us for episode six, when our guest will be Lucy Wrubel, who takes the art of deejaying to a whole new level. Her love of music and her creative energy are contagious. You do not want to miss this show. No Time to Be timid is written and produced by me, Tricia Rose Burt. Our episodes are produced and scored by Adam Arnone of Echo Finch, and our theme music is Twists and Turns by the Paul Dunlea Group. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the show, spread the word, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. No Time to be Timid is a presentation of I Will Be Good Productions. [00:35:59][0.0]