Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Simons.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
About 5 years ago, I was teaching and realized I was ready to move on from that part of my life. I taught reading and have always been an avid reader. I was hoping for something career-wise that would keep books and reading a part of my life. Fate was on my side, and our town’s local bookstore went up for sale right as I quit teaching. We bought the store and have been selling books ever since!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When we initially purchased the bookstore, it was in very rough shape. The bookseller had been ill, and the store had gotten so overpacked with books that there were many parts that you could not even walk through. We made our first task getting the store back into shape. It was exhausting and almost backbreaking! I had to visit the chiropractor multiple times from lifting so many books in such a short period. Once we got the store back into shape, we had to win over people who had written the store off years ago as a junky mess. It took the community a long time to understand that the store had changed hands and was now clean and organized.
We’ve been impressed with Back Again Bookshop, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
We are an independent new and used bookshop in the heart of Myrtle Beach. We are Myrtle Beach’s most extensive independent bookshop, and we carry over 20,000 titles. We also have puzzles, games, and bookish merch for the book lover in your life. We are well known for our organization, reasonable prices, and, most importantly, our two resident bookshop cats- Caramel and Midnight! People love to pet our cats and hang out in the bookshop.
What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Retail sales of new books peaked during the early 2020s and are trending slightly down over the past few months. However, used books tend to do well in times of economic uncertainty as they can be as much as 75% off the retail price of a book. Our experience has been that used bookstores are hardy as long as you have a good selection and are clean and organized. Getting the word out is the most challenging part since the marketing budget is small.
Pricing:
- Used Books range from $1.50 – $8
- New Books are MSRP which runs from $16 – $30
Contact Info:
- Website: http://backagainbookshop.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/backagainbookshop/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/backagainbookshop
