Hearing about John Varley's current health and associated financial difficulties (see the news section above or read about it here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpjohnvarley) this month and also hearing the very, very good news that Peter Beagle has finally and conclusively beaten his scumbag former manager in court . . . .
It got me thinking. Booksellers, as a group, have pretty poor retirement paths. But, there are a few professions that have even worse ones. A friend once outlined the usual retirement for a fencing coach; "Work 'til your knees give out and then live poor in a hovel for your remaining years. If you're lucky." That's pretty bad. But, the retirement of a full-time mid-list author isn't much better.
Showing posts with label Alan Beatts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Beatts. Show all posts
April 11, 2021
From the Office
by Alan Beatts
February 06, 2021
From the Office
by Alan Beatts
My, it's much easier to focus on writing (or anything else) this month compared to early January. That was one very weird time in the US. Things are still pretty weird, I grant you, but the improvement is notable. I hope that you are all doing well and staying safe.
We're one month into the year and our annual sponsorship renewal process. As I mentioned last month, we have been dependent on our sponsorship program to offset higher payroll costs since 2015. Each year 300 or more people sponsor us with a $100 contribution. That process has not only allowed Borderlands to remain in operation but was the basis for the direct borrowing that allowed us to buy the building that will be our future home on Haight St. Due to the economic effects of last year, moreso than ever before, sponsorships are critical for our continued operation. If you've never been a sponsor before, now would be a great time to start. You can sign up on-line here - https://borderlands-books.com/v2/become-sponsor/, come in person, or call us to sign-up via credit card. We're even happy to take checks via mail (if you're going to go the mail route, please include your full name, phone number, email address and mailing address).
If you'd like to know more about the history of sponsorship and the benefits associated with it, take a look here - https://borderlands-books.com/v2/sponsorships/
January 08, 2021
From the Office
by Alan Beatts
As I write this, it is the evening of Wednesday, January 6th. It's hard to think that anything I've got to say has any significance in light of what has been (and is) happening in Washington, DC. But, this is going to pass and we'll move on (though, like much of what 2020 brought us, I don't think we'll be "moving on" in the same way that we were). So, please forgive the comparative triviality of what follows.
The last year has been crushingly hard for most small businesses and Borderlands was no exception. Compared to 2019, our sales were down by 45%. That's a really hard hit for a bookstore. On the other hand, several things were in our favor; we were among the lucky businesses to get a PPP loan from the SBA (which looks to be completely forgivable), we were able to make some changes to the schedule that reduced payroll (without any layoffs), and we have a wonderfully loyal set of customers.
But, the biggest thing we had going for us was that we are not a restaurant or, gods help them, a bar or music venue. I cannot imagine what the owners of that sort of business have been going through. Compared to them, at least we've been able to be _open_ through most of the past nine months.
One other thing that has been an immeasurable help over the past year is our sponsor program - https://borderlands-books.com/v2/sponsorships/. It came about in 2015, when I planned to close Borderlands because of the upcoming increases to San Francisco's minimum wage. Though I enthusiastically support a higher minimum wage, the economics of the business meant that Borderlands wasn't going to be viable if we had to increase wages by almost 50% over three years. Rather than hold on as long as we could, I decided it was best to close once it became apparent that we wouldn't be able to make it.
October 15, 2020
What's Goin' On?
by Alan Beatts
Firstly (and maybe a bit redundantly) -- Wow, 2020 has been a terrible
year in almost every detail. From the most global standpoint all the
way down to the most personal, it's just been awful for almost everyone I
know.
I had a conversation recently with a friend that put some
perspective on it. They're at the age when low iron levels and / or
thyroid issues start to crop up with the common symptom of general
fatigue. They'd been feeling like they just couldn't get enough sleep
so, like you do, they got in touch with their doctor about maybe getting
some blood tests. The doctor's (quite lengthy) response was, in
essence; "I'll order the tests for you but I suggest you skip them for
now. Almost every single one of my patients has mentioned the same
symptom and, in virtually all of those cases, the cause is stress
because of what this year has been like. So, stay home, take care of
yourself, and let me know if the feeling gets worse."
Imagine.
This year has been so bad, universally, that it's causing a common
medical complaint all the way across the patient list of a busy doctor
practicing in a major and diverse city.
That is, as they say, a Thing.
On
one hand, that's pretty distressing. But, on the other hand, it
actually made me feel better. Goodness knows, I've had some trouble
focusing and getting work (or anything else) done over the past few
months. And there've been a fair number of days when a nap seemed like
just about the best thing in the world. Knowing that it's not just
_me_, knowing that everyone has been having problems functioning this
year . . . it makes it a little easier.
I mention this because,
if you've been having a bit of trouble with the old "get up and go"; it
ain't just you. So, do like a bookseller - just hang on, read (if and
when you can), and wait this out. It's _got_ to end sometime.
June 17, 2020
Borderlands To Open Soon
by Alan Beatts
I'm going to jump in here right at the beginning of the newsletter since I'm sure folks are wondering about our plans for this month in terms of reopening the shop. Based on the current (but subject to change) plan for San Francisco, we will be able to allow customers into the store starting on Monday, June 15th. As we did with curbside pickup, I think that we'll take a slightly slower approach and we'll actually open for customers on Wednesday, the 17th. That gives us time to make sure that we have everything in place to make the process comfortable for everyone. It also gives us time to see what other businesses are doing and spot possible problems. Likewise, just as we did last month, I think that we'll start with only Jude and myself working and then we'll bring the rest of the staff in the following week.
I'm still in the process of working out all the details. Obviously we'll be doing all the expected things (hand sanitizing left and right (pun intended), masks required all the time for everyone in the shop, asking everyone to stay 6' apart, and so forth) but there will be a few other steps that we'll take as well. What has been decided so far is that we'll be using a bunch of HEPA air filters that, in total, are able to cycle the air in the shop four to five times per hour. Though there isn't a rigorous scientific conclusion that they are effective in reducing the risks in an enclosed space, I have found no guidance that suggest that they will be harmful in any way and it's reasonable to conclude that they will be helpful, if to an unknown degree.
We'll also be restricting the total number of people in the shop. The exact number is still to be determined, absent guidance from the SF Department of Public Health, but my sense is that it will be in the 8-10 person range, inclusive of staff. So, if you come by the shop after we're open and, upon entry, are asked to come back later, I hope that you'll understand our reasons and be patient with us. We will also be open by appointment outside of normal business hours. I'm still working on the exact details of that, but it's in the works.
You can expect a mid-month update email with all the details, once they're ironed out. I've got to say, we're all very excited at the prospect of seeing you all again. We've missed you.
Haight Street Update
by Alan Beatts
Last month we finally got back to work on the new shop. And we made some really great progress. So much that I've got some pictures for you to look at - https://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/p/haight-st-photos.html. The high points are:
The sheet rock is mostly complete. There are still some small areas that I'll be completing (because they're tricky) but the crew from Pat Trainor Drywall <https://www.marinbuilders.com/list/member/pat-trainor-drywall-inc-736> came by and banged it out faster than I would have thought possible. They are the same company that did the work at the cafe and they're just the best. It took them only one day to hang the entire 1400 square foot ceiling plus 300 square feet of wall. And then just two more days to do all the mud. The difference is like night and day.
Tile is also mostly complete. Simon Firth of Canterbury Tile, who set the tile for the bathroom, did the work for the front wall and about half of the vestibule. We changed the design partway through and so we needed more red tiles than we had on hand. Once we finalize the design for the entry floor, he'll be back and we'll get the job finished off. It looks so good. Even moreso, it's especially exciting because it's the first piece of final and finished work on the exterior.
And, finally, we have a mural. Paint The Void <https://paintthevoid.org> is a cooperative effort on the part of two non-profits whose goal is, "Helping keep artists engaged and paid as guardians of hope and beauty in the wake of COVID-19". Basically they raise funds to pay local artists to paint murals on boarded-up storefronts around town. My friend Aaron referred me to them and, despite telling them that it was a construction site rather than someplace boarded up because of the shelter-in-place order, they said they would love to get us a mural. A few days later I met up with Eli The Man <https://elitheman.com> who did the coolest damn thing on the front of the shop. I think it's kind of a shame that it's temporary but, who knows, perhaps we'll figure out something neat to do, once the plywood comes down and we have windows?
This month my plan is to get the final work done on the walls in the bathroom and then I'll get the plumbers back in to finish off that job. Beyond that, there's a tiny bit of framing in the ceiling right outside the door, followed by sheetrock and then the bathroom is done. We'll see how getting that work done goes, with everything else that's going on. Wish me luck!
Last month we finally got back to work on the new shop. And we made some really great progress. So much that I've got some pictures for you to look at - https://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/p/haight-st-photos.html. The high points are:
The sheet rock is mostly complete. There are still some small areas that I'll be completing (because they're tricky) but the crew from Pat Trainor Drywall <https://www.marinbuilders.com/list/member/pat-trainor-drywall-inc-736> came by and banged it out faster than I would have thought possible. They are the same company that did the work at the cafe and they're just the best. It took them only one day to hang the entire 1400 square foot ceiling plus 300 square feet of wall. And then just two more days to do all the mud. The difference is like night and day.
Tile is also mostly complete. Simon Firth of Canterbury Tile, who set the tile for the bathroom, did the work for the front wall and about half of the vestibule. We changed the design partway through and so we needed more red tiles than we had on hand. Once we finalize the design for the entry floor, he'll be back and we'll get the job finished off. It looks so good. Even moreso, it's especially exciting because it's the first piece of final and finished work on the exterior.
And, finally, we have a mural. Paint The Void <https://paintthevoid.org> is a cooperative effort on the part of two non-profits whose goal is, "Helping keep artists engaged and paid as guardians of hope and beauty in the wake of COVID-19". Basically they raise funds to pay local artists to paint murals on boarded-up storefronts around town. My friend Aaron referred me to them and, despite telling them that it was a construction site rather than someplace boarded up because of the shelter-in-place order, they said they would love to get us a mural. A few days later I met up with Eli The Man <https://elitheman.com> who did the coolest damn thing on the front of the shop. I think it's kind of a shame that it's temporary but, who knows, perhaps we'll figure out something neat to do, once the plywood comes down and we have windows?
This month my plan is to get the final work done on the walls in the bathroom and then I'll get the plumbers back in to finish off that job. Beyond that, there's a tiny bit of framing in the ceiling right outside the door, followed by sheetrock and then the bathroom is done. We'll see how getting that work done goes, with everything else that's going on. Wish me luck!
May 16, 2020
Curb-Side Pickup Coming Soon
Hi Everyone,
As you've probably heard, both California and San Francisco are relaxing some of the restrictions on business operations. Specifically, retail businesses like Borderlands will be allowed to start offering "curb-side pickups" to the public starting on Monday, the 18th. We are, as you'd expect, very excited to start being able to handle business in a slightly more "normal" way. It's also going to be really nice not to need to pack up every single book that we sell and send them by mail.
However, we aren't going to start immediately.
The guidance from the city Health Department has been a bit scant so far, and that is part of the reason that we're going to delay a little bit. But, moreso, I want to have time to think through our procedures carefully and get the supplies and equipment that we'll need on hand before we start. As I see it, there is no reason to rush headlong into this and, given the risks associated with making mistakes, there is a very good reason to move slowly and thoughtfully.
We will start a trial of doing curb-side sales on Wednesday, May 20th, from 11 am to 5 pm and we'll continue on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd. Then we will close for the weekend, assess how it went and, assuming that we have a good system in place, we will start a regular schedule on Monday, May 25th. For the first three days, Jude and I will be the only people working at the shop. Starting on the 25th, I anticipate that we'll be bringing staff back to the store, opening for longer hours (probably 10 or 11 am to 6 or 7 pm), and be operating seven days per week. Below you'll find an explanation from Jude about how the process will work.
It saddens me that we not be able to allow any customers into the store during this stage of reopening, and I also regret that we won't be able to spend much time at all socializing with you when you stop by. But, this is much better than the circumstances that we've been working under and, although we'll only see you for a short time, it makes me very happy that we'll be able see our favorite people in the world -- you, our customers.
Warm Regards,
Alan
We're happy to be able to provide front-of-store ("curbside") pickup by appointment for your book orders! In keeping with directives from San Francisco's Health Department, we've developed the following system to keep our customers and employees safe while getting you the books you need.
How it works: just call us (415 824-8203) or email orders@borderlands-books.com to place your order. If you call us, we'll ask for your book selections and credit card info for payment, and we'll set up a time for to pick up your order. If you email, please send us your book selections and your phone number; we'll call you to get payment information and set up an appointment for pickup -- please DON'T email us credit card info -- it's not secure.
Please arrive on-time for your pick up appointment, or call us and let us know if you need to reschedule. Once you arrive, call the store to let us know you're here. We'll bring your bag of books and receipt outside to you and wave cheerily. (Cheer levels may vary by employee.) Confirm that your order is correct and you're on your way!
All Best,
Jude
As you've probably heard, both California and San Francisco are relaxing some of the restrictions on business operations. Specifically, retail businesses like Borderlands will be allowed to start offering "curb-side pickups" to the public starting on Monday, the 18th. We are, as you'd expect, very excited to start being able to handle business in a slightly more "normal" way. It's also going to be really nice not to need to pack up every single book that we sell and send them by mail.
However, we aren't going to start immediately.
The guidance from the city Health Department has been a bit scant so far, and that is part of the reason that we're going to delay a little bit. But, moreso, I want to have time to think through our procedures carefully and get the supplies and equipment that we'll need on hand before we start. As I see it, there is no reason to rush headlong into this and, given the risks associated with making mistakes, there is a very good reason to move slowly and thoughtfully.
We will start a trial of doing curb-side sales on Wednesday, May 20th, from 11 am to 5 pm and we'll continue on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd. Then we will close for the weekend, assess how it went and, assuming that we have a good system in place, we will start a regular schedule on Monday, May 25th. For the first three days, Jude and I will be the only people working at the shop. Starting on the 25th, I anticipate that we'll be bringing staff back to the store, opening for longer hours (probably 10 or 11 am to 6 or 7 pm), and be operating seven days per week. Below you'll find an explanation from Jude about how the process will work.
It saddens me that we not be able to allow any customers into the store during this stage of reopening, and I also regret that we won't be able to spend much time at all socializing with you when you stop by. But, this is much better than the circumstances that we've been working under and, although we'll only see you for a short time, it makes me very happy that we'll be able see our favorite people in the world -- you, our customers.
Warm Regards,
Alan
We're happy to be able to provide front-of-store ("curbside") pickup by appointment for your book orders! In keeping with directives from San Francisco's Health Department, we've developed the following system to keep our customers and employees safe while getting you the books you need.
How it works: just call us (415 824-8203) or email orders@borderlands-books.com to place your order. If you call us, we'll ask for your book selections and credit card info for payment, and we'll set up a time for to pick up your order. If you email, please send us your book selections and your phone number; we'll call you to get payment information and set up an appointment for pickup -- please DON'T email us credit card info -- it's not secure.
Please arrive on-time for your pick up appointment, or call us and let us know if you need to reschedule. Once you arrive, call the store to let us know you're here. We'll bring your bag of books and receipt outside to you and wave cheerily. (Cheer levels may vary by employee.) Confirm that your order is correct and you're on your way!
All Best,
Jude
May 08, 2020
How are we doing at Borderlands?
by Alan Beatts
A lot has happened since my last update, a month ago. Or was it two years ago? I'm not sure because corona-time is strange and elastic. Regardless, much has happened. Jude and I have been filling mail-orders as fast as we can (and that is fast indeed) but it's been hectic. Selling 20-40 books over the counter is a moderately busy day but not at all a strain. Processing, packing and shipping out 20-40 books in a day, however, is an awful lot of work. We've been thrilled to do it -- both serving our customers and getting a little income makes us very happy -- but it's been busy. We'll be continuing to fill mail-orders for the duration and we're happy to send you anything you'd like. You can check out our inventory at Biblio.com - https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/borderlands-books-san-francisco
This is a good time to mention that Martha Wells' much anticipated Murderbot novel, Network Effect, just arrived today and we expect to be shipping out a lot of copies of that. We're also going to have our first socially-distanced, drop-in signing with Christopher Moore on Friday. He'll be signing copies of his newest, Shakespeare For Squirrels. If you'd like to get a copy of that, or any of Chris' other novels, inscribed to you, just drop us a line at orders@borderlands-books.com and we'll be happy to take care of you.
While Jude and I have been being the mail-order-monkeys, the rest of the staff have been working from home on various things, many of which I'm excited to announce today.
Thanks to a bunch of outstanding work on the part of Amy (with help from Jeremy), we have a new website. It seems that 2005 called recently and wanted its website back, so we made a new one. Please do check it out and let me know what you think - http://www.borderlands-books.com
We've also improved some other parts of our presence on-line. Maddy has set up and is managing an Instagram account for us at borderlands_books so, if that's your thing, please do follow us there. Maddy is also in the process of producing a series of videos that we'll be posting on our channel at YouTube. The first should be up this Friday and we're hoping to post on a weekly basis thereafter. If you want to be sure to hear when the video is up, please subscribe to our channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvLsi-6ZyU0fuY09DIAt3A
The final major thing that we've been working on is setting up our own shopping cart / ecommerce system. As good as Biblio.com is and as great to work with as they are; our own system will work better, since it'll be specifically matched to our business, and we'll also save on the commission that Biblio charges. Jeremy's been working on that and it's getting close to ready for a test run. We hope to have it ready for ordering specific new releases within a week or two and to offer our entire inventory by next month.
Finally, I have been working on getting one of the Small Business Administration's Payroll Protection Program loans. If you've been following the news about that, you won't be surprised that it's been a complicated and frustrating process. However, despite my expectations, we did receive the loan on Sunday. Granted, we applied on the 8th of April but, better late than never, as they say. Thankfully, the decision about whether to accept the loan was simpler for us than it was for many others because we had kept the whole staff on payroll from the outset of the shelter-in-place order. Consequently, we didn't have to make the hard decision about whether to bring people back from furlough while still very unsure what the coming months would hold.
Thanks to that loan, we are currently in much the same financial position that we were in at the end of February. Depending on what the next six to twelve months hold, it is still possible that we will be in a tricky financial situation at some point but, for now, things are looking relatively good. Not great, mind you, but pretty good. Certainly, we are not at risk of going out of business.
That said, your support is still very welcome and needed. Ordering books from us to be shipped has made a huge difference over the past month and will continue to do so for as long as we keep the shop closed. It's looking like we will be able to start offering curb-side pickup of books sometime in the coming weeks. When that happens, continuing to shop with us would be a huge help in these trying times.
Though our original opening date at the new shop on Haight Street is now a thing of the past, I will be starting work there again this week. The sheet rock crew will be starting on Monday, the 11th, and I hope to keep the work there moving forward at a good pace. Perhaps by next month I'll have some idea of an opening date. Sadly, I fear that we will have to wait for the opening party extravaganza that I had planned but, that will just make it even sweeter when it happens. Because it will not only celebrate our new location but will also celebrate the existence of a vaccine for COVID-19!
So, until I see you again at the store -- whether it be outside the window, picking up a bag of books, or inside the shop, peering at me over a mask -- take care of yourself, your people and your world, be kind and patient, and stay safe.
A lot has happened since my last update, a month ago. Or was it two years ago? I'm not sure because corona-time is strange and elastic. Regardless, much has happened. Jude and I have been filling mail-orders as fast as we can (and that is fast indeed) but it's been hectic. Selling 20-40 books over the counter is a moderately busy day but not at all a strain. Processing, packing and shipping out 20-40 books in a day, however, is an awful lot of work. We've been thrilled to do it -- both serving our customers and getting a little income makes us very happy -- but it's been busy. We'll be continuing to fill mail-orders for the duration and we're happy to send you anything you'd like. You can check out our inventory at Biblio.com - https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/borderlands-books-san-francisco
This is a good time to mention that Martha Wells' much anticipated Murderbot novel, Network Effect, just arrived today and we expect to be shipping out a lot of copies of that. We're also going to have our first socially-distanced, drop-in signing with Christopher Moore on Friday. He'll be signing copies of his newest, Shakespeare For Squirrels. If you'd like to get a copy of that, or any of Chris' other novels, inscribed to you, just drop us a line at orders@borderlands-books.com and we'll be happy to take care of you.
While Jude and I have been being the mail-order-monkeys, the rest of the staff have been working from home on various things, many of which I'm excited to announce today.
Thanks to a bunch of outstanding work on the part of Amy (with help from Jeremy), we have a new website. It seems that 2005 called recently and wanted its website back, so we made a new one. Please do check it out and let me know what you think - http://www.borderlands-books.com
We've also improved some other parts of our presence on-line. Maddy has set up and is managing an Instagram account for us at borderlands_books so, if that's your thing, please do follow us there. Maddy is also in the process of producing a series of videos that we'll be posting on our channel at YouTube. The first should be up this Friday and we're hoping to post on a weekly basis thereafter. If you want to be sure to hear when the video is up, please subscribe to our channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvLsi-6ZyU0fuY09DIAt3A
The final major thing that we've been working on is setting up our own shopping cart / ecommerce system. As good as Biblio.com is and as great to work with as they are; our own system will work better, since it'll be specifically matched to our business, and we'll also save on the commission that Biblio charges. Jeremy's been working on that and it's getting close to ready for a test run. We hope to have it ready for ordering specific new releases within a week or two and to offer our entire inventory by next month.
Finally, I have been working on getting one of the Small Business Administration's Payroll Protection Program loans. If you've been following the news about that, you won't be surprised that it's been a complicated and frustrating process. However, despite my expectations, we did receive the loan on Sunday. Granted, we applied on the 8th of April but, better late than never, as they say. Thankfully, the decision about whether to accept the loan was simpler for us than it was for many others because we had kept the whole staff on payroll from the outset of the shelter-in-place order. Consequently, we didn't have to make the hard decision about whether to bring people back from furlough while still very unsure what the coming months would hold.
Thanks to that loan, we are currently in much the same financial position that we were in at the end of February. Depending on what the next six to twelve months hold, it is still possible that we will be in a tricky financial situation at some point but, for now, things are looking relatively good. Not great, mind you, but pretty good. Certainly, we are not at risk of going out of business.
That said, your support is still very welcome and needed. Ordering books from us to be shipped has made a huge difference over the past month and will continue to do so for as long as we keep the shop closed. It's looking like we will be able to start offering curb-side pickup of books sometime in the coming weeks. When that happens, continuing to shop with us would be a huge help in these trying times.
Though our original opening date at the new shop on Haight Street is now a thing of the past, I will be starting work there again this week. The sheet rock crew will be starting on Monday, the 11th, and I hope to keep the work there moving forward at a good pace. Perhaps by next month I'll have some idea of an opening date. Sadly, I fear that we will have to wait for the opening party extravaganza that I had planned but, that will just make it even sweeter when it happens. Because it will not only celebrate our new location but will also celebrate the existence of a vaccine for COVID-19!
So, until I see you again at the store -- whether it be outside the window, picking up a bag of books, or inside the shop, peering at me over a mask -- take care of yourself, your people and your world, be kind and patient, and stay safe.
Bookshop.org
by Alan Beatts
So, what's not to like? And, where can Borderlands sign up?
The first one is a complicated question but the second one, that's easy -- Borderlands _can't_ sign up.
The American Booksellers Association has a very long history (it was founded in 1900) and my history with the ABA is long as well. Borderlands became a member in, I dunno, 1998?
The ABA has done some great things. It was the kernel for The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (founded in 1990), an outstanding organization that supports freedom of speech and has mounted highly effective opposition to banning books. It has also worked closely with the BINC Foundation, which provides aid to individual booksellers in financial distress. And it has been a tireless advocate for independent booksellers by providing extensive education opportunities, acting as an advocate, and working in opposition to, initially, the threat posed by large chain stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble and, later, Amazon's domination of the market.
It's also a wealthy, often clueless, organization that see itself as the embodiment of independent bookselling. Perhaps its greatest failing, probably due to institutional blinders, is that when the ABA _thinks_ "bookstore" what it _sees_ is a large, general interest, new bookshop. Problem is; that doesn't describe most of the bookstores in the US. Consequently much of what the ABA does ends up being a Procrustean bed. Everything that doesn't fit gets cut off or distorted. Please bear with me while I dig into the ABA for a bit.
The ABA is wealthy. Per the last federal tax filing in 2018, the ABA has assets of a bit over $34 million and revenue of $3.9 million. In the real world, that's not much for a national trade organization, but we're talking about bookselling here -- that's a lot of cash. In comparison, the average bookstore in the US has an annual revenue of around $225,000 (1). As would suit a wealthy organization, the ABA is generous. Salaries and other compensation in 2018 were $2.4 million. Oren Teicher, the former CEO, pulled down a salary of $379,859 plus $65,367 in other compensation. Remember that average bookstore? Teicher's compensation is just shy of double that amount. It's probably a good thing that the ABA is sitting on so many assets since, in 2018, they had an operating loss of more than three-quarters of a million dollars (2).
The ABA is clueless. I'll just give a single example because I could go on and on. Since the early 2000s, the ABA has flailed around trying to figure out how to provide access to ebook revenue for indy bookstores. After various false starts (i.e. partnering with Sony and their walled-garden ebook reader), they settled on Kobo. Which is not a bad eReader platform but, the deal that is supposed to make ebook sales have some value for stores nets a participating store around fifty cents per sale (3). That's a fine model. If a store moved 25% of its business to ebooks they could look forward to going right the hell out of business. So, why the deal in the first place? Every bookseller I've talked to about it has, at best, said, "Well, at least we can sell ebooks. But, it's not really worthwhile." One of the booksellers was an ABA board member at the time! So, in a desire to seem relevant, the ABA chose a solution so bad that, if all their members embraced it and supported it, it would put them out of business (both the members and the ABA). What makes it even better is that, though they didn't come up with a solution, they did create a perception on the part of customers that buying ebooks would support their local store. If that doesn't sufficiently demonstrate the cluelessness of the ABA, just go visit the ABA's ecommerce site - https://www.indiebound.org. Never heard of it? That's because it's awful and has always been awful.
Bottom line, the ABA is composed of well-meaning people who care about books, readers and bookstores. I would never dispute that. But, as an organization, they're not very competent and they're seriously out of touch with what bookselling is actually like. Here's a secret about bookstores - many of the big, well-known stores are run by people who don't need to survive on their profits. To my certain knowledge there are big bookshops owned by: venture capitalists who did very well during the dot-com boom; people who are well-enough-off to own a villa in Italy for vacations; the heir of a family that owns a significant portion of the downtown of a major city; and a landlord who owns a nice strip of top-end retail buildings in another major city (actually, there are two like that). It is booksellers like that who have the time to serve as board members of the ABA. I certainly have neither the time nor money to do it. No bookseller who is really scrabbling does. It's also booksellers like that who give the ABA the endowments that allow it to function. And, finally, because ABA dues work on a sliding scale, it's the big stores that pay the most in annual dues.
So, you've got an organization steered by booksellers who are complete outliers in their field and headed by an officer whose compensation is almost double the gross sales of the average member store. What could possibly make it better? How about this? The ABA, as an organization, is habitually less than honest in its public communication. The first time I ran into that was a write-up in their newsletter years ago about a town-hall meeting with the CEO. It was described as a pleasant discussion with Northern California booksellers. In fact, it included an exchange between myself and the CEO that was so unpleasant that the president of our local booksellers association apologized to me for the CEO's conduct. Over the years I've seen that pattern of spin-doctoring over and over again. In that case, it wasn't particularly harmful, but it can be. Take the ABA's recent riff, for example. Over the past few years a big talking point for the ABA has been that indy bookselling is doing well and that new stores are opening. It's treated as serious news by places like NPR (4), The Harvard Business School (5), and The Voice of America (6).
But what the ABA has actually been saying is that _their membership_ is growing. If you look at the US Census figures, it's a different story --"For 1992, the Census Bureau reported 13,136 bookstore establishments, consisting of small "independent" stores as well as larger chain stores. As of 2016, the number of stores tallied in the Census Bureau survey had fallen to less than half that figure, to an all-time low of 6,448." Furthermore -- "The bookstore workforce increased by more than 54% from 1992 to 2008. The number of employees then declined substantially, with 45% fewer people (83,319) working in these establishments in 2016 than eight years earlier." (7) Even adjusted for the closure of Borders and the downsizing of Barnes & Noble, that is still a steady decline.
That kind of spin-doctoring is actually damaging because it gives people a false sense that everything is fine for bookstores. Why does the ABA do it? First, I think it's to maintain the fiction that bookstores are vibrant and important (and, by extension, that the ABA is important and going a good job). Based on what I've seen over the years, that fiction is very important to the ABA. Second, I think it's a function of the institutional blinders that I mentioned earlier. The ABA has a hard time conceiving that bookselling is much bigger than their members.
Last point, and speaking of members. Notice that the census figure for number of bookstores in 2016 was 6,448? The ABA has gotten pretty clever of late and doesn't clearly list their total number of members. But, searching their online list of members without any limit returns 2,817 stores (8). They do list how many new stores join each year (while omitting the number of stores that stop being members -- perhaps no-one ever leaves?). Per their website, they added 75 members in 2017 and 99 members in 2018. Backtracking from that information suggests that they had 2643 members in 2016. So, the ABA actually represents significantly less than half of bookstores in the US. But you'd never imagine that from either their public statements or the amount of credibility they enjoy.
We haven't been a member since around 2000 or so. I just wasn't willing to participate in an organization like the ABA. I haven't regretted it for one moment.
By now, you're probably wondering what in the world the ABA has to do with Bookshop.org, yeah?
Fair question. Bookshop.org exists because a guy named Andy Hunter went to the ABA with some suggestions about what they could / should do to correct the problems with the ABA's ecommerce site - Indiebound.org. The catch was that the ABA couldn't do it. His suggestions would have meant that they were actually selling books, which they can't do. (Rightly, I think. The ABA is a trade organization. It's not cool for an organization that represents businesses to set up as a competitor.)
I talked to Mr. Hunter yesterday. He's a good guy. I think he really cares about bookstores. Actually, I know he cares about bookstores because, when he couldn't work with the ABA to make something that would be really functional for indy stores, he went and did it himself; in consultation and with the support of the ABA. At the time, he told me, he didn't know about issues with the ABA. In fact, he said he had no idea that any booksellers had problems with the ABA.
So, to participate in Bookshop.org, as a bookseller, you have to be a member of the ABA. Granted, any bookstore can be an affiliate (just like anyone else on the planet) and get a little cut of referred sales but; that is neither financially nor practically the same thing.
Further, part of Bookshop.org's plan is sharing a portion of their profits with independent bookstores. From their website -- "If you want to find a specific local bookstore to support, find them on our map and they'll receive the full profit off your order. Otherwise, your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookstores (even those that don't use Bookshop)."(9)
The stores that get a piece of that "earnings pool". It's the members of the ABA. No-one else.
Which makes the counter at the top of their site reading, as of this moment, "$1,271,387.61 raised for local bookstores", a bit inaccurate. Might be more honest if it said, "$1,271,387.61 raised for the membership of the American Booksellers Association". Perhaps the ABA's fondness for less-than-straight speech rubbed off? I hope not. But, as my dad used to say, "You can't touch pitch and not be defiled".
The question I had was; Why ABA members only? Since then, I've spoken with Sarah High, Bookshop.org's Partnership's Manager, and with Andy Hunter, the founder. Initially the only answer I got was, "Our reasoning for the ABA requirement is because of our partnership with their organization." But, at the end of a really lovely conversation with Ms. High, she said that it was because of an agreement that they had made with the ABA. An agreement that the ABA requested. No surprise there, really. But then, during my conversation with Mr. Hunter, it turned out that there actually is not a binding agreement in place nor does the ABA have a controlling ownership stake or board position. In an email followup to our call, Mr. Hunter pointed out that, from the very beginning, his understanding with the ABA was that only their members would be participants and that the ABA had been very helpful through the process. But, when all is said and done, the only conclusion that I can come to is that the requirement is there because the folks who run Bookshop.org want it there. Which, I guess, is fine. It's their company, after all. Perhaps they don't want to piss off the ABA. That's never been something that's concerned me very much (shocking, eh?) but I'd hardly suggest that my way of doing business is well suited to most other companies.
I find myself very conflicted about Bookshop.org. It is obviously run by people who share values with me. Most importantly, they both care about independent bookselling and are competent enough to actually do something effective. I absolutely love that they're playing Robin Hood to Amazon's Sheriff of Nottingham; with the greater affiliate percentage and their pass-along-the-profit scheme, they're taking sales away from Amazon and giving the money to bookstores and the people who are generating the sales. During my conversation with Mr. Hunter he genuinely listened to my perception of the problems with the ABA and said he would bring them up. I was left with the feeling that he really would like to see things work out well.
On the other hand, their catering to the ABA doesn't sit very well with me. And, especially at a time like this, when _all_ bookstores are struggling and people are so happy to help, the misdirection in using a phrase like, "XXX dollars raised for local bookstores" and avoiding almost any mention of the ABA on their website is . . . upsetting.
The ultimate feeling I'm left with is that I just wish it were different. Bookshop.org is something that I'm thrilled to see and I would love to support wholeheartedly. I just wish they would support me.
Hell, they seem smart enough. Perhaps they could solve the problem of how to get indy bookstores a good enough margin on ebooks that we could sell them, and not go out of business in the process. That would be cooler than skates on a rattlesnake.
1) https://www.womply.com/blog/the-state-of-local-bookstores/
2) https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/view_990/135676641/0ca9d546f5bf1c27b1240f1296c9bab0
3) https://publishingperspectives.com/2015/08/ebooks-sold-at-independent-bookstores-garner-pitiful-profits/
4) https://www.npr.org/2018/03/29/598053563/why-the-number-of-independent-bookstores-increased-during-the-retail-apocalypse
5) https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/20-068_c19963e7-506c-479a-beb4-bb339cd293ee.pdf
6) https://www.voanews.com/arts-culture/us-independent-bookstores-thriving-and-growing
7) https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/public-life/bookstores-establishments-and-sales
8) https://www.bookweb.org/member_directory/search/ABAmember/results/0/0/0/0
9) https://bookshop.org/pages/about
A number of people have asked me about Bookshop.org over the last month. Specifically, they've been drawing my attention to it because they think that it would be really useful to us, especially given the current situation. If you haven't heard about Bookshop.org, the super-short version is that they're offering an almost effortless way that bookstores can sell books on-line and get a very nice percentage of the sales (30% right now). Further, they're offering a much larger percentage of affiliate sales than Amazon (10% vs. 4.5%). And, finally, they're giving a substantial portion of those sales to local bookstores. So far they've raised $1,271,387.61.
So, what's not to like? And, where can Borderlands sign up?
The first one is a complicated question but the second one, that's easy -- Borderlands _can't_ sign up.
The American Booksellers Association has a very long history (it was founded in 1900) and my history with the ABA is long as well. Borderlands became a member in, I dunno, 1998?
The ABA has done some great things. It was the kernel for The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (founded in 1990), an outstanding organization that supports freedom of speech and has mounted highly effective opposition to banning books. It has also worked closely with the BINC Foundation, which provides aid to individual booksellers in financial distress. And it has been a tireless advocate for independent booksellers by providing extensive education opportunities, acting as an advocate, and working in opposition to, initially, the threat posed by large chain stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble and, later, Amazon's domination of the market.
It's also a wealthy, often clueless, organization that see itself as the embodiment of independent bookselling. Perhaps its greatest failing, probably due to institutional blinders, is that when the ABA _thinks_ "bookstore" what it _sees_ is a large, general interest, new bookshop. Problem is; that doesn't describe most of the bookstores in the US. Consequently much of what the ABA does ends up being a Procrustean bed. Everything that doesn't fit gets cut off or distorted. Please bear with me while I dig into the ABA for a bit.
The ABA is wealthy. Per the last federal tax filing in 2018, the ABA has assets of a bit over $34 million and revenue of $3.9 million. In the real world, that's not much for a national trade organization, but we're talking about bookselling here -- that's a lot of cash. In comparison, the average bookstore in the US has an annual revenue of around $225,000 (1). As would suit a wealthy organization, the ABA is generous. Salaries and other compensation in 2018 were $2.4 million. Oren Teicher, the former CEO, pulled down a salary of $379,859 plus $65,367 in other compensation. Remember that average bookstore? Teicher's compensation is just shy of double that amount. It's probably a good thing that the ABA is sitting on so many assets since, in 2018, they had an operating loss of more than three-quarters of a million dollars (2).
The ABA is clueless. I'll just give a single example because I could go on and on. Since the early 2000s, the ABA has flailed around trying to figure out how to provide access to ebook revenue for indy bookstores. After various false starts (i.e. partnering with Sony and their walled-garden ebook reader), they settled on Kobo. Which is not a bad eReader platform but, the deal that is supposed to make ebook sales have some value for stores nets a participating store around fifty cents per sale (3). That's a fine model. If a store moved 25% of its business to ebooks they could look forward to going right the hell out of business. So, why the deal in the first place? Every bookseller I've talked to about it has, at best, said, "Well, at least we can sell ebooks. But, it's not really worthwhile." One of the booksellers was an ABA board member at the time! So, in a desire to seem relevant, the ABA chose a solution so bad that, if all their members embraced it and supported it, it would put them out of business (both the members and the ABA). What makes it even better is that, though they didn't come up with a solution, they did create a perception on the part of customers that buying ebooks would support their local store. If that doesn't sufficiently demonstrate the cluelessness of the ABA, just go visit the ABA's ecommerce site - https://www.indiebound.org. Never heard of it? That's because it's awful and has always been awful.
Bottom line, the ABA is composed of well-meaning people who care about books, readers and bookstores. I would never dispute that. But, as an organization, they're not very competent and they're seriously out of touch with what bookselling is actually like. Here's a secret about bookstores - many of the big, well-known stores are run by people who don't need to survive on their profits. To my certain knowledge there are big bookshops owned by: venture capitalists who did very well during the dot-com boom; people who are well-enough-off to own a villa in Italy for vacations; the heir of a family that owns a significant portion of the downtown of a major city; and a landlord who owns a nice strip of top-end retail buildings in another major city (actually, there are two like that). It is booksellers like that who have the time to serve as board members of the ABA. I certainly have neither the time nor money to do it. No bookseller who is really scrabbling does. It's also booksellers like that who give the ABA the endowments that allow it to function. And, finally, because ABA dues work on a sliding scale, it's the big stores that pay the most in annual dues.
So, you've got an organization steered by booksellers who are complete outliers in their field and headed by an officer whose compensation is almost double the gross sales of the average member store. What could possibly make it better? How about this? The ABA, as an organization, is habitually less than honest in its public communication. The first time I ran into that was a write-up in their newsletter years ago about a town-hall meeting with the CEO. It was described as a pleasant discussion with Northern California booksellers. In fact, it included an exchange between myself and the CEO that was so unpleasant that the president of our local booksellers association apologized to me for the CEO's conduct. Over the years I've seen that pattern of spin-doctoring over and over again. In that case, it wasn't particularly harmful, but it can be. Take the ABA's recent riff, for example. Over the past few years a big talking point for the ABA has been that indy bookselling is doing well and that new stores are opening. It's treated as serious news by places like NPR (4), The Harvard Business School (5), and The Voice of America (6).
But what the ABA has actually been saying is that _their membership_ is growing. If you look at the US Census figures, it's a different story --"For 1992, the Census Bureau reported 13,136 bookstore establishments, consisting of small "independent" stores as well as larger chain stores. As of 2016, the number of stores tallied in the Census Bureau survey had fallen to less than half that figure, to an all-time low of 6,448." Furthermore -- "The bookstore workforce increased by more than 54% from 1992 to 2008. The number of employees then declined substantially, with 45% fewer people (83,319) working in these establishments in 2016 than eight years earlier." (7) Even adjusted for the closure of Borders and the downsizing of Barnes & Noble, that is still a steady decline.
That kind of spin-doctoring is actually damaging because it gives people a false sense that everything is fine for bookstores. Why does the ABA do it? First, I think it's to maintain the fiction that bookstores are vibrant and important (and, by extension, that the ABA is important and going a good job). Based on what I've seen over the years, that fiction is very important to the ABA. Second, I think it's a function of the institutional blinders that I mentioned earlier. The ABA has a hard time conceiving that bookselling is much bigger than their members.
Last point, and speaking of members. Notice that the census figure for number of bookstores in 2016 was 6,448? The ABA has gotten pretty clever of late and doesn't clearly list their total number of members. But, searching their online list of members without any limit returns 2,817 stores (8). They do list how many new stores join each year (while omitting the number of stores that stop being members -- perhaps no-one ever leaves?). Per their website, they added 75 members in 2017 and 99 members in 2018. Backtracking from that information suggests that they had 2643 members in 2016. So, the ABA actually represents significantly less than half of bookstores in the US. But you'd never imagine that from either their public statements or the amount of credibility they enjoy.
We haven't been a member since around 2000 or so. I just wasn't willing to participate in an organization like the ABA. I haven't regretted it for one moment.
By now, you're probably wondering what in the world the ABA has to do with Bookshop.org, yeah?
Fair question. Bookshop.org exists because a guy named Andy Hunter went to the ABA with some suggestions about what they could / should do to correct the problems with the ABA's ecommerce site - Indiebound.org. The catch was that the ABA couldn't do it. His suggestions would have meant that they were actually selling books, which they can't do. (Rightly, I think. The ABA is a trade organization. It's not cool for an organization that represents businesses to set up as a competitor.)
I talked to Mr. Hunter yesterday. He's a good guy. I think he really cares about bookstores. Actually, I know he cares about bookstores because, when he couldn't work with the ABA to make something that would be really functional for indy stores, he went and did it himself; in consultation and with the support of the ABA. At the time, he told me, he didn't know about issues with the ABA. In fact, he said he had no idea that any booksellers had problems with the ABA.
So, to participate in Bookshop.org, as a bookseller, you have to be a member of the ABA. Granted, any bookstore can be an affiliate (just like anyone else on the planet) and get a little cut of referred sales but; that is neither financially nor practically the same thing.
Further, part of Bookshop.org's plan is sharing a portion of their profits with independent bookstores. From their website -- "If you want to find a specific local bookstore to support, find them on our map and they'll receive the full profit off your order. Otherwise, your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookstores (even those that don't use Bookshop)."(9)
The stores that get a piece of that "earnings pool". It's the members of the ABA. No-one else.
Which makes the counter at the top of their site reading, as of this moment, "$1,271,387.61 raised for local bookstores", a bit inaccurate. Might be more honest if it said, "$1,271,387.61 raised for the membership of the American Booksellers Association". Perhaps the ABA's fondness for less-than-straight speech rubbed off? I hope not. But, as my dad used to say, "You can't touch pitch and not be defiled".
The question I had was; Why ABA members only? Since then, I've spoken with Sarah High, Bookshop.org's Partnership's Manager, and with Andy Hunter, the founder. Initially the only answer I got was, "Our reasoning for the ABA requirement is because of our partnership with their organization." But, at the end of a really lovely conversation with Ms. High, she said that it was because of an agreement that they had made with the ABA. An agreement that the ABA requested. No surprise there, really. But then, during my conversation with Mr. Hunter, it turned out that there actually is not a binding agreement in place nor does the ABA have a controlling ownership stake or board position. In an email followup to our call, Mr. Hunter pointed out that, from the very beginning, his understanding with the ABA was that only their members would be participants and that the ABA had been very helpful through the process. But, when all is said and done, the only conclusion that I can come to is that the requirement is there because the folks who run Bookshop.org want it there. Which, I guess, is fine. It's their company, after all. Perhaps they don't want to piss off the ABA. That's never been something that's concerned me very much (shocking, eh?) but I'd hardly suggest that my way of doing business is well suited to most other companies.
I find myself very conflicted about Bookshop.org. It is obviously run by people who share values with me. Most importantly, they both care about independent bookselling and are competent enough to actually do something effective. I absolutely love that they're playing Robin Hood to Amazon's Sheriff of Nottingham; with the greater affiliate percentage and their pass-along-the-profit scheme, they're taking sales away from Amazon and giving the money to bookstores and the people who are generating the sales. During my conversation with Mr. Hunter he genuinely listened to my perception of the problems with the ABA and said he would bring them up. I was left with the feeling that he really would like to see things work out well.
On the other hand, their catering to the ABA doesn't sit very well with me. And, especially at a time like this, when _all_ bookstores are struggling and people are so happy to help, the misdirection in using a phrase like, "XXX dollars raised for local bookstores" and avoiding almost any mention of the ABA on their website is . . . upsetting.
The ultimate feeling I'm left with is that I just wish it were different. Bookshop.org is something that I'm thrilled to see and I would love to support wholeheartedly. I just wish they would support me.
Hell, they seem smart enough. Perhaps they could solve the problem of how to get indy bookstores a good enough margin on ebooks that we could sell them, and not go out of business in the process. That would be cooler than skates on a rattlesnake.
1) https://www.womply.com/blog/the-state-of-local-bookstores/
2) https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/view_990/135676641/0ca9d546f5bf1c27b1240f1296c9bab0
3) https://publishingperspectives.com/2015/08/ebooks-sold-at-independent-bookstores-garner-pitiful-profits/
4) https://www.npr.org/2018/03/29/598053563/why-the-number-of-independent-bookstores-increased-during-the-retail-apocalypse
5) https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/20-068_c19963e7-506c-479a-beb4-bb339cd293ee.pdf
6) https://www.voanews.com/arts-culture/us-independent-bookstores-thriving-and-growing
7) https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/public-life/bookstores-establishments-and-sales
8) https://www.bookweb.org/member_directory/search/ABAmember/results/0/0/0/0
9) https://bookshop.org/pages/about
A Word About State Senator Scott Wiener
by Alan Beatts
Right now there are so many people behaving wonderfully that the ones that behave badly and deceptively are especially irritating. Which is why I really feel the need to mention that our State Senator, Scott Wiener, said something in his April Newsletter that was deliberately misleading. And it was about Borderlands.
In his newsletter he said, in part. "I know I'm biased, but I think that San Francisco has the best small businesses in the world. Some, like my personal favorite dim sum restaurant Mama Ji's, are still open for takeout. Others, like one of my favorite bookstores, Borderlands Books — a fantasy and sci-fi bookstore in the Mission -- have closed for now. "
Nice, huh? Except I dunno why we would be one of his favorite bookstore since I'm absolutely certain that he's only set foot in the shop once. It was back in 2015 and the occasion was to talk with me about some highly critical things that I had said. I hadn't appreciated his position on the minimum wage increase that almost put us out of business and the cavalier way that he had dismissed a reporter's question about our closure by saying words to the effect of -- I love Borderlands but we knew that there would be some negative consequences from the wage increase.
At the time of his comment to the reporter, I asked all the staff if they had ever seen him in the shop. They were all sure that they hadn't. For some people, that recollection might not be authoritative but -- Scott Wiener is over six and a half feet tall, has red hair, and is even scrawnier than I am. He's not a person you can miss.
That conclusion was further supported by his one (and, I'm pretty damn sure) only visit to the shop. He walked in and looked around in exactly the same way I've seen thousands of people do; the first time they come in. He came to the counter and we had the following conversation.
Him, "Hi. I'm Scott Wiener."
Me, "Yup."
Him, "I'm sorry to hear that you're closing."
Me, "Yeah, me too."
Him, " . . . . "
And then he left.
Not what I would say is the best possible example of reaching out to your constituents (at the time, Wiener was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and represented the district that both the store and my home are located in). But, to be fair, I've been told that I can be a bit intimidating, especially if I'm not in a very good mood.
Since 2015, as far as I know, he's never set foot inside the shop again. He's also not one of our mail-order customers (I checked). Amusingly enough, we do have a sponsor named Scott Wiener, but it's not the same guy (I also checked).
So, why are we one of his favorite bookstores? I truly don't know. Unless it's because he likes being able to tie himself, as a supporter, to a business that enjoys a huge amount of support. Perhaps he thinks that he'll get the people who support us to support him? As I said, I dunno and I don't really care. But, I'm not going to let him act like he cares a bit about us when, at the time we needed help, all he could say was that -- there would be some negative consequences -- and then run away when he was face to face with the person who was suffering that consequence.
(Oh, and of course, he also said we were closed on April 3rd when, at the time, we had begun doing mail-orders again.)
Right now there are so many people behaving wonderfully that the ones that behave badly and deceptively are especially irritating. Which is why I really feel the need to mention that our State Senator, Scott Wiener, said something in his April Newsletter that was deliberately misleading. And it was about Borderlands.
In his newsletter he said, in part. "I know I'm biased, but I think that San Francisco has the best small businesses in the world. Some, like my personal favorite dim sum restaurant Mama Ji's, are still open for takeout. Others, like one of my favorite bookstores, Borderlands Books — a fantasy and sci-fi bookstore in the Mission -- have closed for now. "
Nice, huh? Except I dunno why we would be one of his favorite bookstore since I'm absolutely certain that he's only set foot in the shop once. It was back in 2015 and the occasion was to talk with me about some highly critical things that I had said. I hadn't appreciated his position on the minimum wage increase that almost put us out of business and the cavalier way that he had dismissed a reporter's question about our closure by saying words to the effect of -- I love Borderlands but we knew that there would be some negative consequences from the wage increase.
At the time of his comment to the reporter, I asked all the staff if they had ever seen him in the shop. They were all sure that they hadn't. For some people, that recollection might not be authoritative but -- Scott Wiener is over six and a half feet tall, has red hair, and is even scrawnier than I am. He's not a person you can miss.
That conclusion was further supported by his one (and, I'm pretty damn sure) only visit to the shop. He walked in and looked around in exactly the same way I've seen thousands of people do; the first time they come in. He came to the counter and we had the following conversation.
Him, "Hi. I'm Scott Wiener."
Me, "Yup."
Him, "I'm sorry to hear that you're closing."
Me, "Yeah, me too."
Him, " . . . . "
And then he left.
Not what I would say is the best possible example of reaching out to your constituents (at the time, Wiener was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and represented the district that both the store and my home are located in). But, to be fair, I've been told that I can be a bit intimidating, especially if I'm not in a very good mood.
Since 2015, as far as I know, he's never set foot inside the shop again. He's also not one of our mail-order customers (I checked). Amusingly enough, we do have a sponsor named Scott Wiener, but it's not the same guy (I also checked).
So, why are we one of his favorite bookstores? I truly don't know. Unless it's because he likes being able to tie himself, as a supporter, to a business that enjoys a huge amount of support. Perhaps he thinks that he'll get the people who support us to support him? As I said, I dunno and I don't really care. But, I'm not going to let him act like he cares a bit about us when, at the time we needed help, all he could say was that -- there would be some negative consequences -- and then run away when he was face to face with the person who was suffering that consequence.
(Oh, and of course, he also said we were closed on April 3rd when, at the time, we had begun doing mail-orders again.)
April 04, 2020
Strange Days
by Alan Beatts
Strange days indeed are here. I hope that you are all happy, healthy and managing the day-to-day challenges with "grace and artistry" (as Tom Lehrer put it). Levity aside, I know that this is a difficult time for all of us. The crew at the shop are managing pretty well but we're all quite lucky in our individual circumstances. Others are not so lucky and our thoughts are with them.
In the scale of what is happening, Borderlands really isn't very important and so I'm not going to waste many words on our situation other than to say that, financially speaking, we're doing alright. The financial consequences of closing up the shop are significant but, at this point, manageable. The staff will continue to get paid and/or they'll be getting unemployment benefits that equal their usual income, which is a huge load off my mind. For the business, money will be tight down the road but we can deal with that then. For now though, there are a few things that we're doing that will help our situation. You'll find details about them below. Bottom line though - there is little risk that we'll have to close as a result of the current situation.
What is important, however, are the grimly historic events that we are caught up in. I think we each have our own personal, "Wow. This is serious." moments. I don't mean the big things that you see on the news but the little, personal things. For me it was today; I did the math and realized that I could park in front of the shop, all day long, for $4. I know it's silly for cheap parking meters to bring home the depth of our situation but a small thing is something that my mind can really put in context.
A super-tanker sized hospital ship coming into New York harbor is just too large, both figuratively and literally, to be easily incorporated in my world-view.
But, however we get there, this truly is deeply serious. The effects of this will be with us for a long time. I hope that the magnitude of the measures we need to take as a society will decrease sharply in the next months. And I also hope that, within a year or two, we will be past the destructive part of this pandemic. But, there will be vestiges and scars of it left over for years to come.
San Francisco is strange right now, in may ways, but it's also kinder than it was a few weeks ago. People seem to be smiling more at each other on the street (albeit while walking past each other as far apart as possible). I talked with a postal worker today who was genuinely pleasant, helpful and accommodating. There's a bag-piper in my neighborhood who's playing from his rooftop at sunset each evening. In general, people are driving slower and with more courtesy. And, across the board, the people I've dealt with have been kinder and more considerate than usual.
It's is all those little things combined with the big stuff, like the generally responsible behavior of mayors and governors around the country, that make me confident that we're going to be alright. This is going to be hard and it's going to be long but we'll get through.
We're going to be alright.
-------------------------
"I believe in my whole race. Yellow, white, black, red, brown. In the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability, and goodness of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being. I believe that we have come this far by the skin of our teeth. That we always make it just by the skin of our teeth, but that we will always make it. Survive. Endure."
-- Robert A. Heinlein, 1952
Strange days indeed are here. I hope that you are all happy, healthy and managing the day-to-day challenges with "grace and artistry" (as Tom Lehrer put it). Levity aside, I know that this is a difficult time for all of us. The crew at the shop are managing pretty well but we're all quite lucky in our individual circumstances. Others are not so lucky and our thoughts are with them.
In the scale of what is happening, Borderlands really isn't very important and so I'm not going to waste many words on our situation other than to say that, financially speaking, we're doing alright. The financial consequences of closing up the shop are significant but, at this point, manageable. The staff will continue to get paid and/or they'll be getting unemployment benefits that equal their usual income, which is a huge load off my mind. For the business, money will be tight down the road but we can deal with that then. For now though, there are a few things that we're doing that will help our situation. You'll find details about them below. Bottom line though - there is little risk that we'll have to close as a result of the current situation.
What is important, however, are the grimly historic events that we are caught up in. I think we each have our own personal, "Wow. This is serious." moments. I don't mean the big things that you see on the news but the little, personal things. For me it was today; I did the math and realized that I could park in front of the shop, all day long, for $4. I know it's silly for cheap parking meters to bring home the depth of our situation but a small thing is something that my mind can really put in context.
A super-tanker sized hospital ship coming into New York harbor is just too large, both figuratively and literally, to be easily incorporated in my world-view.
But, however we get there, this truly is deeply serious. The effects of this will be with us for a long time. I hope that the magnitude of the measures we need to take as a society will decrease sharply in the next months. And I also hope that, within a year or two, we will be past the destructive part of this pandemic. But, there will be vestiges and scars of it left over for years to come.
San Francisco is strange right now, in may ways, but it's also kinder than it was a few weeks ago. People seem to be smiling more at each other on the street (albeit while walking past each other as far apart as possible). I talked with a postal worker today who was genuinely pleasant, helpful and accommodating. There's a bag-piper in my neighborhood who's playing from his rooftop at sunset each evening. In general, people are driving slower and with more courtesy. And, across the board, the people I've dealt with have been kinder and more considerate than usual.
It's is all those little things combined with the big stuff, like the generally responsible behavior of mayors and governors around the country, that make me confident that we're going to be alright. This is going to be hard and it's going to be long but we'll get through.
We're going to be alright.
-------------------------
"I believe in my whole race. Yellow, white, black, red, brown. In the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability, and goodness of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being. I believe that we have come this far by the skin of our teeth. That we always make it just by the skin of our teeth, but that we will always make it. Survive. Endure."
-- Robert A. Heinlein, 1952
February 12, 2020
Borderlands is Hiring
Dave Fitzgerald, whom many of you know as the "baby" member of our staff (he's only been a bookseller for a bit over a year -- that's a mere infant in bookseller years), is going to be heading out of SF for Eureka. We're damn sad to see Dave go; he's a hell of a fine bookseller on top of fitting in well with the rest of the inmates at The Borderlands Home for Those Who Read Too Much. But, since it's looking like he'll be splitting at the end of February, we need to hire someone to replace him. Further, because of all the extra work that this year is going to hold, we're decided to hire two new staff people. So . . .
If you've ever thought that it would be fun to work at Borderlands, here's your chance. But, before you fire off a resume and cover letter, there are a couple of things you should know -
1) It's a hard job. Despite his charming disposition, Alan can be a demanding person to work for and, on top of that, there is a _lot_ of work to do.
2) The pay is San Francisco minimum wage, currently $15.59 per hour.
3) Almost all shifts are from noon to 8 pm, weekends included.
4) After being trained, there would be two to three shifts per week.
And that's all the bad news. There are a bunch of upsides, but we can talk about them in person. If you're interested, please do email Alan Beatts (abeatts@borderlands-books.com) a resume-type-object along with a cover letter explaining why you'd like the job.
If you've ever thought that it would be fun to work at Borderlands, here's your chance. But, before you fire off a resume and cover letter, there are a couple of things you should know -
1) It's a hard job. Despite his charming disposition, Alan can be a demanding person to work for and, on top of that, there is a _lot_ of work to do.
2) The pay is San Francisco minimum wage, currently $15.59 per hour.
3) Almost all shifts are from noon to 8 pm, weekends included.
4) After being trained, there would be two to three shifts per week.
And that's all the bad news. There are a bunch of upsides, but we can talk about them in person. If you're interested, please do email Alan Beatts (abeatts@borderlands-books.com) a resume-type-object along with a cover letter explaining why you'd like the job.
Borderlands 2020 Sponsorships
by Alan Beatts
At the beginning of 2015 Borderlands was getting ready to close. San Francisco voters had passed an increase in the minimum wage that was going to end the financial viability of the store, probably by the middle of July that year. If not at that point, then the second increase scheduled for July of this year was certainly going to do the job. Although I and the rest of the staff strongly support minimum wage laws in general, and we suspected that San Francisco's local increase would be generally positive for the city as a whole, we were trapped by the idiosyncrasy of the book business. Unlike most products, books have a price printed on them. That makes the usual business solution of increasing prices to cover higher expenses impossible for us. Rather than ride the business down into the grave, I and the rest of the staff decided it was better to close quickly, at the time of our choosing and at the top of our game.
Our customers were very much opposed to this and, out of their comments & suggestions and in consultation with the staff, we decided to try an experiment. We would ask that a minimum of 300 people sponsor the store for $100 each. If that many people were willing, it would offset the added expense of the wage increases that were scheduled to raise the wage to $15 per hour by the middle of the following year. Since that increased expense would be on-going, a basic assumption was that the sponsorship would need to recur each year.
2020 will be our sixth year operating as a sponsored business. Thus far, it has been a big success. Not only have more than the required number of people sponsored us for each year, but with the support of our sponsors, customers, and fellow professionals in our field, we were able to raise the funds to purchase a building on Haight Street to be our permanent location. 2020, our 22nd year in business, is going to be a momentous one marked by our relocation to our new home. We will no longer be subject to the greatest threat to the survival of any small business -- a massive and unmanageable increase in rent.
At the beginning of 2015 Borderlands was getting ready to close. San Francisco voters had passed an increase in the minimum wage that was going to end the financial viability of the store, probably by the middle of July that year. If not at that point, then the second increase scheduled for July of this year was certainly going to do the job. Although I and the rest of the staff strongly support minimum wage laws in general, and we suspected that San Francisco's local increase would be generally positive for the city as a whole, we were trapped by the idiosyncrasy of the book business. Unlike most products, books have a price printed on them. That makes the usual business solution of increasing prices to cover higher expenses impossible for us. Rather than ride the business down into the grave, I and the rest of the staff decided it was better to close quickly, at the time of our choosing and at the top of our game.
Our customers were very much opposed to this and, out of their comments & suggestions and in consultation with the staff, we decided to try an experiment. We would ask that a minimum of 300 people sponsor the store for $100 each. If that many people were willing, it would offset the added expense of the wage increases that were scheduled to raise the wage to $15 per hour by the middle of the following year. Since that increased expense would be on-going, a basic assumption was that the sponsorship would need to recur each year.
2020 will be our sixth year operating as a sponsored business. Thus far, it has been a big success. Not only have more than the required number of people sponsored us for each year, but with the support of our sponsors, customers, and fellow professionals in our field, we were able to raise the funds to purchase a building on Haight Street to be our permanent location. 2020, our 22nd year in business, is going to be a momentous one marked by our relocation to our new home. We will no longer be subject to the greatest threat to the survival of any small business -- a massive and unmanageable increase in rent.
From the Office
Two Cool Things:
I don't get much time to write about stuff that I thought was particularly neat now-a-days. Actually, I don't get much time. Period.
But, I ran across two things last month that I wanted to share. The first is the TV series of Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher". It is . . . odd . . . and I really liked it. The books are thoroughly imbued with Polish historical and cultural influences and that quality comes through in the show. Which means that characters don't always act the way that you'd expect, and the story doesn't play out that way, either.
Now, granted the show is a bit uneven and there are some flaws but, overall, I thought it was refreshingly different. And there are two _great_ sword fights, which is a big plus in my book. You'll find it on Netflix and I think it's worth a watch. As a little added treat, here's the show's star, Henry Cavill, reading the first "Witcher" story - https://youtu.be/uUST_IQYp-o
The other thing . . . wow. I read Everything Under The Moon by Jeff Johnson a couple of weeks ago. I read it in one day (almost in a single sitting). The damn thing grabbed me by the face and didn't let go 'til I was done. I absolutely loved it. It came out in 2016 but somehow I managed to miss it 'til now. Full disclosure prompts me to make clear that this isn't everyone's sort of book; it's kind of like Crooked Little Vein by Ellis or Bad Monkeys by Ruff ran into a Jim Butcher novel in a dark alley. The main character is part werewolf and kills bad people for fun (and profit), all while wearing a bad attitude like a trench-coat. It's very noir, pretty violent, and the first person narrator's voice is absolutely spot-on and irresistible. If that sounds like your sort of thing, you will _love_ this book.
February Building Update:
January was a good month and we made solid progress. The bathroom tile work is done and looks wonderful. We have a little bit of work left to do on the walls, and then we can have the plumbers and electricians come in to do the final work. With that completed, we should be just about ready to close out that permit; almost two years after we opened it. That's been a long trip but, given that the job started in the basement with new foundations and structural beams, I think we've done pretty well. I'm excited to get that closed and, perhaps even more so, excited to have a bathroom again.
I don't get much time to write about stuff that I thought was particularly neat now-a-days. Actually, I don't get much time. Period.
But, I ran across two things last month that I wanted to share. The first is the TV series of Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher". It is . . . odd . . . and I really liked it. The books are thoroughly imbued with Polish historical and cultural influences and that quality comes through in the show. Which means that characters don't always act the way that you'd expect, and the story doesn't play out that way, either.
Now, granted the show is a bit uneven and there are some flaws but, overall, I thought it was refreshingly different. And there are two _great_ sword fights, which is a big plus in my book. You'll find it on Netflix and I think it's worth a watch. As a little added treat, here's the show's star, Henry Cavill, reading the first "Witcher" story - https://youtu.be/uUST_IQYp-o
The other thing . . . wow. I read Everything Under The Moon by Jeff Johnson a couple of weeks ago. I read it in one day (almost in a single sitting). The damn thing grabbed me by the face and didn't let go 'til I was done. I absolutely loved it. It came out in 2016 but somehow I managed to miss it 'til now. Full disclosure prompts me to make clear that this isn't everyone's sort of book; it's kind of like Crooked Little Vein by Ellis or Bad Monkeys by Ruff ran into a Jim Butcher novel in a dark alley. The main character is part werewolf and kills bad people for fun (and profit), all while wearing a bad attitude like a trench-coat. It's very noir, pretty violent, and the first person narrator's voice is absolutely spot-on and irresistible. If that sounds like your sort of thing, you will _love_ this book.
February Building Update:
January was a good month and we made solid progress. The bathroom tile work is done and looks wonderful. We have a little bit of work left to do on the walls, and then we can have the plumbers and electricians come in to do the final work. With that completed, we should be just about ready to close out that permit; almost two years after we opened it. That's been a long trip but, given that the job started in the basement with new foundations and structural beams, I think we've done pretty well. I'm excited to get that closed and, perhaps even more so, excited to have a bathroom again.
January 27, 2020
We're Moving in May
by Alan Beatts
Happy New Year All!
I hope that 2020 is treating you well. As far as years go, 2019 was an often challenging one and, to be honest, I'm happy to see the back of it. I think that 2020 is going to be . . . interesting . . . as well; but I hope in a much more positive way. Something that is going to make this year especially interesting is that we're going to be moving our store.
Happy New Year All!
I hope that 2020 is treating you well. As far as years go, 2019 was an often challenging one and, to be honest, I'm happy to see the back of it. I think that 2020 is going to be . . . interesting . . . as well; but I hope in a much more positive way. Something that is going to make this year especially interesting is that we're going to be moving our store.
December 09, 2019
Happy Holidays
by Alan Beatts
After a monograph like Jude's Gift Guide, there doesn't seem to be much need for me to add a lot of extra verbiage here. Just two things to pass along.
First, work continues at the new building. It's been slow going, mostly because some personal stuff had me in LA for about half of the last month. But . . . it is moving along. Rough electrical for the bathroom is done and will be inspected (and passed, I'm sure) on the 10th. Rough framing for the front passed inspection week before last and now we're working to get the surface finish done outside and the electrical done inside. Rough electrical for the main floor will probably happen this month and, because our electrician is great, should pass inspection this month as well. Once that's done there'll be a few other things to take care of in the ceiling (Cat 6 network cabling, audio cabling, and the lifting point of the trap door for the basement shop) and then I can get the sheetrock crew in to close it up. So, we're plugging right along.
Second, this has been a rough year personally and, I think, a rough year for most Americans. For me, December is when it's easiest to get stressed out, feel rushed, and generally lose my sense of calm. Further, for many people, it's a month when it's easy to feel worried and, perhaps worst of all, isolated.
This month, despite everything that is going on, I try to slow down, breathe and keep clear in my mind what is actually important. Most of all, I try to remember that the things that are getting my attention -- nasty weather, flashing lights, bad drivers, and the constant refrain of "Buy, buy, buy!" -- really aren't that significant at all.
At the risk of sounding like a Hallmark card, what matters this month is exactly the same as every other month -- our friends, our family (whether by blood or by choice), our principals, and our dreams & goals. So, as we head into the end of 2019 and the end of the second decade of the 21st century; take care of yourselves, take care of your people, find calm within the noise and haste, and have a peaceful and happy holiday followed by a joyous New Year.
November 21, 2019
November Building Update
by Alan Beatts
The last month has been a good one for the construction but not particularly exciting, so this update is going to be kind of short. The rough plumbing is completed and passed inspection. Other than some less-than-esthetically-pleasing work in the lightwell, it's a really nice, clean job. And, it'll be easy enough for me to re-route the stuff in the lightwell so that it's not quite so . . . industrial . . . looking. Granted, I can understand why a plumber would want to run all the piping between waist and shoulder height -- it's easy to work at that level. But it doesn't really make for the best look, if you know what I mean.
Antonius and Juan, our electricians, were in last week and the rough electrical for the bathroom is finished. We just need to get that inspected and then we can get to closing up the walls. With a little luck, I hope to have the bathroom completed by the end of next month.
The framing for the front wall is also finished (big thanks to Zach for getting the last bits completed) and it passed inspection yesterday. We need to put a little bit of electrical in that wall and then we can start closing it as well. That job is going to be a bit long because of the complexity. Instead of just simple sheetrock like the bathroom, there's tile on the outside to do, plus an awful lot of windows to build. On the other hand, because that wall is mostly windows, once they are built and installed, most of the wall will be completed, both outside and in.
The last month has been a good one for the construction but not particularly exciting, so this update is going to be kind of short. The rough plumbing is completed and passed inspection. Other than some less-than-esthetically-pleasing work in the lightwell, it's a really nice, clean job. And, it'll be easy enough for me to re-route the stuff in the lightwell so that it's not quite so . . . industrial . . . looking. Granted, I can understand why a plumber would want to run all the piping between waist and shoulder height -- it's easy to work at that level. But it doesn't really make for the best look, if you know what I mean.
Antonius and Juan, our electricians, were in last week and the rough electrical for the bathroom is finished. We just need to get that inspected and then we can get to closing up the walls. With a little luck, I hope to have the bathroom completed by the end of next month.
The framing for the front wall is also finished (big thanks to Zach for getting the last bits completed) and it passed inspection yesterday. We need to put a little bit of electrical in that wall and then we can start closing it as well. That job is going to be a bit long because of the complexity. Instead of just simple sheetrock like the bathroom, there's tile on the outside to do, plus an awful lot of windows to build. On the other hand, because that wall is mostly windows, once they are built and installed, most of the wall will be completed, both outside and in.
October 10, 2019
October Building Update
by Alan Beatts
It's been a very busy month at the new building on Haight St. I'll get to all the details in a second but I've got a bigger piece of news. I finally decided when (roughly) we're going to move.
I'm aiming to have us up and running at the new building by Spring of next year. Specifically, by May. That is, granted, a long way off from now but at least there's a date. Or, at least a month.
Why so long? Well, here's the thing -- we need to get the two big jobs finished (the bathroom and the new front wall). Both are pretty far along but, once that's done, there's still quite a lot to do. I'd like to get the basement office in reasonable shape because trying to do that after we've moved would just be a whole lot of not-fun. Also, there are some bits and pieces of work that will also need doing (reworking the stairway to the basement, getting the final electrical in place, and so on). But the big one is building the shelves. There are quite a lot of them to build and, speaking from experience, that's a time-consuming process. Plus, there are bound to be delays as we go. So yeah, I think that May is about right. We'll see if that lasts, eh?
It's been a very busy month at the new building on Haight St. I'll get to all the details in a second but I've got a bigger piece of news. I finally decided when (roughly) we're going to move.
I'm aiming to have us up and running at the new building by Spring of next year. Specifically, by May. That is, granted, a long way off from now but at least there's a date. Or, at least a month.
Why so long? Well, here's the thing -- we need to get the two big jobs finished (the bathroom and the new front wall). Both are pretty far along but, once that's done, there's still quite a lot to do. I'd like to get the basement office in reasonable shape because trying to do that after we've moved would just be a whole lot of not-fun. Also, there are some bits and pieces of work that will also need doing (reworking the stairway to the basement, getting the final electrical in place, and so on). But the big one is building the shelves. There are quite a lot of them to build and, speaking from experience, that's a time-consuming process. Plus, there are bound to be delays as we go. So yeah, I think that May is about right. We'll see if that lasts, eh?
September 04, 2019
September Building Update
Big news, in several ways, this month. First off, not only is the framing for the bathroom completed but, yesterday, I met with our structural engineer and he signed off on his final inspection. Which means that the whole, big, complicated structural job that we started over a year ago in the basement is completed, from an engineering standpoint. He said that it was a very nice job and that everything looked great.
This is a big milestone not just for the obvious reasons but also because it marks the end of the section of the job that I had no experience doing. The blessedly innocent Alan of 2018 knew nothing of I-beams, steel-reinforced foundations, engineered lumber, or how to get a 400 lb. beam 13 feet in the air. He also never considered that he would not only be intimately familiar with the Simpson Company catalog, but that he would own his own dog-eared copy of it!
This is a big milestone not just for the obvious reasons but also because it marks the end of the section of the job that I had no experience doing. The blessedly innocent Alan of 2018 knew nothing of I-beams, steel-reinforced foundations, engineered lumber, or how to get a 400 lb. beam 13 feet in the air. He also never considered that he would not only be intimately familiar with the Simpson Company catalog, but that he would own his own dog-eared copy of it!
August 07, 2019
August Building Update
by Alan Beatts
Last month I mentioned that I was going to be meeting with a specialist contractor about removing the flooring in the new store. The flooring itself isn't a problem, but the tile and adhesive on it is. Both contain asbestos, as is pretty typical for old tile. Though one solution would be to simply cover it up with a new floor, I don't really want to go that route for a couple of reasons. First off, adding a layer to the existing floor will (obviously) raise the height. That increased height becomes a problem because we need to meet the sidewalk outside the shop without too much of a slope because of accessibility requirements. At the current floor height we can just make it without having to build a ramp and add a handrail. If we add even 3/4", I don't think we can manage it.
Secondly, asbestos is not very nice stuff. There aren't a whole lot of construction materials that give me the creeps but asbestos is one of them. If we don't take the floor out now, there's never going to be a good time to do it. On top of that, any time we need to work on the floor in the future (like drill a hole through it for an electrical line or some speaker wiring) we'll have to deal with the asbestos risk.
The estimate to remove the floor is around $9000. Adding the cost of a new, lovely fir floor (much like what we have in the current store), the total is probably going to be around $20,000. That's a steep price-tag but I think I'm going to do it. The floor is probably the absolutely hardest thing to replace after we open and so I feel like getting a truly permanent job done is in our best interests. The schedule for that job is a bit up in the air since I need to figure out how it'll fit with the other work we're doing. I expect that it will happen after we have the bathroom framed and the light well closed up. Having those two jobs done will make the asbestos removal easier and it will also make it much simpler to clear everything out of the place (because we can store a bunch of the stuff inside the bathroom rather than moving it to the back yard).
Speaking of the bathroom, last weekend we got a huge amount of work done on the framing. Almost all the walls are in place (and they all fit properly, thank goodness) and I'll be working on the final touches all this week.
Also on the bathroom topic, my meeting with our plumber, Brian Fusco, went really well. He's a total pro and I'm looking forward to working with him. He also gets our goal of really making sure that everything is in solid shape from the outset, even if it'll cost a little more. So, it's looking like we'll have, for the first time ever, a shop with a completely top-notch electrical and plumbing system. Oh, and a roof that doesn't leak. I'm not sure that, after the past 20 years, I'll know what to make of that.
Before you ask, sorry, but still no opening date. There are still too many moving parts for anything I say to be better than a wild-ass-guess.
Last month I mentioned that I was going to be meeting with a specialist contractor about removing the flooring in the new store. The flooring itself isn't a problem, but the tile and adhesive on it is. Both contain asbestos, as is pretty typical for old tile. Though one solution would be to simply cover it up with a new floor, I don't really want to go that route for a couple of reasons. First off, adding a layer to the existing floor will (obviously) raise the height. That increased height becomes a problem because we need to meet the sidewalk outside the shop without too much of a slope because of accessibility requirements. At the current floor height we can just make it without having to build a ramp and add a handrail. If we add even 3/4", I don't think we can manage it.
Secondly, asbestos is not very nice stuff. There aren't a whole lot of construction materials that give me the creeps but asbestos is one of them. If we don't take the floor out now, there's never going to be a good time to do it. On top of that, any time we need to work on the floor in the future (like drill a hole through it for an electrical line or some speaker wiring) we'll have to deal with the asbestos risk.
The estimate to remove the floor is around $9000. Adding the cost of a new, lovely fir floor (much like what we have in the current store), the total is probably going to be around $20,000. That's a steep price-tag but I think I'm going to do it. The floor is probably the absolutely hardest thing to replace after we open and so I feel like getting a truly permanent job done is in our best interests. The schedule for that job is a bit up in the air since I need to figure out how it'll fit with the other work we're doing. I expect that it will happen after we have the bathroom framed and the light well closed up. Having those two jobs done will make the asbestos removal easier and it will also make it much simpler to clear everything out of the place (because we can store a bunch of the stuff inside the bathroom rather than moving it to the back yard).
Speaking of the bathroom, last weekend we got a huge amount of work done on the framing. Almost all the walls are in place (and they all fit properly, thank goodness) and I'll be working on the final touches all this week.
Also on the bathroom topic, my meeting with our plumber, Brian Fusco, went really well. He's a total pro and I'm looking forward to working with him. He also gets our goal of really making sure that everything is in solid shape from the outset, even if it'll cost a little more. So, it's looking like we'll have, for the first time ever, a shop with a completely top-notch electrical and plumbing system. Oh, and a roof that doesn't leak. I'm not sure that, after the past 20 years, I'll know what to make of that.
Before you ask, sorry, but still no opening date. There are still too many moving parts for anything I say to be better than a wild-ass-guess.
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