Spring Break
Back Pages Books struggles
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 4/29/08
Posted online at 2:56 AM EST on 4/29/08
When Back Pages Books first opened in 2005, owner Alex Green '04 said that the independent bookstore received an outpouring of support from the community, when no independent bookstore had existed in the town for many years. The store now faces financial difficulties after weathering numerous challenges, and Green is counting on support of customers to ensure its survival. Three weeks ago, Green said he sent out an appeal to the 800 addresses on his e-mail list, informing the public of his troubles for the first time.
In an interview, he explained how, as a Classics major, he and his co-founder Ezra Sternstein '04 had no business training and started the Moody Street store undercapitalized. Green explained how this was an added risk factor to the usual difficulties a store encounters in its first year.
Within six months of opening the store, the More than Words bookstore opened two doors down from his shop, Green said.
More Than Words is a nonprofit bookstore that works with the Department of Social Services to offer job training to youths at risk. According to the More Than Words Web site, the store is able to cover about 50 percent of its operating budget, relying on donations and grants from public and private sources for the rest. More Than Words had more financial backing than Back Pages, which had none at that time, Green said.
"That was the hardest of any of these issues to deal with because the kids there are so great," Green said. "[Admiration] is an understatement for what they've done, but the decision by the directors of the program to open up two doors down really hurt."
As a result, "immediately I think we lost money, and that put a significant strain on my business relationship with [Sternstein]," Green said. A year after the venture began, "the partnership fell apart very quickly," he recalled. Not wanting to "scare" customers, Green said he carried on by himself without discussing the store's troubles publicly.
In an interview, he explained how, as a Classics major, he and his co-founder Ezra Sternstein '04 had no business training and started the Moody Street store undercapitalized. Green explained how this was an added risk factor to the usual difficulties a store encounters in its first year.
Within six months of opening the store, the More than Words bookstore opened two doors down from his shop, Green said.
More Than Words is a nonprofit bookstore that works with the Department of Social Services to offer job training to youths at risk. According to the More Than Words Web site, the store is able to cover about 50 percent of its operating budget, relying on donations and grants from public and private sources for the rest. More Than Words had more financial backing than Back Pages, which had none at that time, Green said.
"That was the hardest of any of these issues to deal with because the kids there are so great," Green said. "[Admiration] is an understatement for what they've done, but the decision by the directors of the program to open up two doors down really hurt."
As a result, "immediately I think we lost money, and that put a significant strain on my business relationship with [Sternstein]," Green said. A year after the venture began, "the partnership fell apart very quickly," he recalled. Not wanting to "scare" customers, Green said he carried on by himself without discussing the store's troubles publicly.
Be the first to comment on this story