A Bookshop of My Own: The Diary of Opening a Used Bookstore

The Messy Middle (Vol. 1-2)

Opening a used bookstore: Stef hits 4,000+ books but enters the messy middle—slow progress, tedious work, and a feeling of inefficiency. She gets help with graphic design, encounters her first bust of an estate sale, and answers listener questions about the real obstacles to opening a store.
In this two-part episode, I'm deep in what I'm calling the messy middle. The book count is climbing but the pace feels slow, tedious, inefficient. I'm taking it one book at a time because that's all I can do right now. The doldrums are real.
I'm working on graphic design for the store, trying to capture that local bookstore vibe that feels authentic to Mill Valley. I also drove to Alameda for an estate sale that turned out to be a total bust—sometimes you win, sometimes you waste gas.
Part 2 dives into FAQs I've been getting about opening the store. The biggest question: what are the obstacles? I break it down simply:
Money — tight
People power — also tight
When both are constrained, the exchange is time. This won't happen quickly, but it will happen. Right now, timing actually matters—I kind of don't want the rental space yet. There's too much to do and not enough of me. I'm training my kids to help, and I share some of the unspoken rules for children of business owners who work in the family business (spoiler: it's different than being a regular employee).
I also talk more about tariffs and how they're going to push more people into the resale business. The circular economy is about to get crowded, and I'm hoping I have enough of a head start to stay competitive.
Current Book Count: 4,000+
This is the part of the story where it's not glamorous. It's just work. 🐦‍🔥
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Final Piece

Opening a used bookstore: Stef locks in a crucial book source with rock-bottom 'cost of goods', navigates a home drowning in 3,000+ books, discusses tariff-proofing through reuse, and considers making her bookstore cat-friendly.
In this episode, the final piece clicks into place. I've secured an important intake option for books that gives me an extremely low cost of goods—this is the kind of source that makes a used bookstore financially viable.
Meanwhile, my house is officially overrun. We're talking 3,000+ books and counting. Stacks everywhere. My cats are thriving—they love the new jungle gym situation. It's chaos, but it's purposeful chaos.
I also talk about something that's been on my mind: tariffs. In a climate where import costs are unpredictable and supply chains are vulnerable, reuse businesses have a massive advantage. We're tariff-proof. Every book I sell has already been in circulation—no overseas shipping, no customs fees, no waiting on containers. It's local, circular, and resilient.
And speaking of cats—mine are so happy with the book stacks that I'm genuinely considering making The Phoenix a bookshop-cat kind of place. We'll see. But the idea is growing on me.
Current Book Count: 3,000+
The foundation is solid. The pieces are coming together. 🐦‍🔥
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Margins

Opening a used bookstore: Stef completes business registration, develops SKU and pricing systems, redoes her P&L, and explains why growing up in small business gives her confidence—plus a magical evening with Kate DiCamillo and Ann Patchett.
In this episode, it's paperwork time. EIN, Seller's Permit, city registration—all done and I'm thrilled to actually have my ducks in a row this time.
But the work didn't stop there. I realized I couldn't keep inventorying books without SKUs, which meant I needed a SKU algorithm, which meant I needed a pricing strategy, which meant redoing my entire P&L. The truth? The numbers work, but I have to sell a lot of books. My number one priority is finding affordable rent—everything else is flexible.
I also share why I feel confident opening a bookstore despite never running one. The answer: I grew up in small business. My family owned five childcare centers—a brutally low-margin business with government ratios, healthy snack requirements, and yes, cat poop in sandboxes. I was the cheap labor who learned to find space in tight margins. Between that and my peek into bookstore finances from the failed acquisition, I'm ready for Year 1 mistakes and all.
I picked up How to Start and Run a Used Bookstore by Stephanie Chandler for the operational shortcuts, and had an incredible night at the Charles M. Schulz Museum with Kate DiCamillo and Ann Patchett. They signed books for the store, and I got a photo with Ann Patchett that's going up in the shop.
Current Book Count: 2,000+ (inventory paused until systems are finalized)
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com
Links mentioned:
How to Start and Run a Used Bookstore by Stephanie Chandler
Kate DiCamillo | Ann Patchett
Charles M. Schulz Museum

The Strawberry Parable

Opening a used bookstore: Stef makes it official with an LLC, launches a landing page, and announces The Phoenix Used Bookshop to her neighbors—who immediately start donating books. Plus: a Costco revelation, a serendipitous book encounter, and the Strawberry Parable.
In this episode, things are getting real. The LLC is formed. The landing page is up. I make the announcement to my neighbors, and suddenly books are showing up on my doorstep. The community is already stepping in, and it feels like validation that this store is needed here.
I'm still waiting to hear back from the Mill Valley Library about potential partnerships, but in the meantime, I'm having fun—balancing business admin with inventory work, and it's energizing in a way I didn't expect.
I also share a store differentiator I gleaned from an unlikely source: Costco. Yes, Costco. We all love Costco, right? There's something about how products find you there—the serendipity, the discovery. I want The Phoenix to work the same way: a place where books find you, not just where you hunt for specific titles.
And speaking of books finding me: I was found by Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit. Inside it was the Strawberry Parable—a Zen teaching about presence, beauty, and survival. It was the third time that month I'd encountered this parable, and I knew I had to share it with you. It's real. It's grounded. It's not about toxic positivity—it's about finding sweetness even when you're hanging on.
I'm also gearing up to organize TheArtofBooks.com so I can start selling online and building another revenue stream. The inventory engine is humming, the business structure is solidifying, and the store is taking shape.
Current Book Count: 2,000+ (and climbing with neighbor donations)
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com.
Links:
Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit 
The Strawberry Parable

The Phoenix Rises

Opening a used bookstore: Its March 2025 and we have finally hit 2,000 books through steady estate sale work, come along as Stef navigates Mill Valley's unpredictable rental market, and reveals the intentional meaning behind The Phoenix Used Bookshop.
In this episode, a month has passed since the pivot, and the work is paying off. The book count has climbed from 500 to 2,000—not from one big score, but from consistent scouting, sorting, and showing up to estate sales week after week. I'm deep in the rhythm now, learning which sales are worth the drive and which ones are just overhyped Ebay wanna-bes. I'm also learning a bit more about how to list books on Amazon, so I can build inventory across multiple revenue streams.
I also start seriously exploring rental spaces in Mill Valley. I walk you through what this town actually looks like—the quirky corners, the new kids' spots popping up on Miller Avenue, and yes, the old remnants of a used bookstore I keep stumbling across. There's even a surprise discovery: I had no idea there was a bookstore operating in the basement of the Mill Valley Library.
But the real heart of this episode? The name. The Phoenix Used Bookshop—or PUB for short. I finally share the intentionality behind it: rebirth, the circular life of stories, the idea that every book carries energy that gets passed forward with each reader. I'm playing around with slogans that capture this concept, testing language that feels true to the mission.
Current Book Count: 2,000
The Phoenix is rising 🐦‍🔥
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

Chapter 2: The Opportunity Map

Opening a used bookstore in Mill Valley: After a failed acquisition attempt, Stef maps Marin County's book deserts, launches her book-scouting operation, and commits fully to building 'The Phoenix Used Bookshop' from the ground up.
In this episode, the silence says everything. After submitting a low offer to the sellers—no response. Not even a "thank you, we'll get back to you." Nothing. And honestly? That non-response becomes the clarity I needed.
This is where the shift happens. I'm done waiting. I'm done second-guessing. I'm all in on opening my own bookstore.
So I do what any strategic, slightly obsessive founder would do: I make a map. I plot every single bookstore and library across Marin County, looking for gaps, opportunities, and underserved areas. And what do I find? A book desert—right here in Mill Valley. Coffee shops everywhere, but no used bookstore serving this community the way it deserves.
I also start doing the math: How many books does it actually take to open a bookstore? What does inventory acquisition look like at scale? The book-scouting engine is officially running, and my energy is high. Estate sales, thrift stores, online marketplaces—I'm sourcing, sorting, and building.
And yes, I tease the name of the store in this episode… though if you've been paying attention, you already know it. 🐦‍🔥
Current Book Count: 500
This is Chapter 2. The story is no longer about what didn't work out—it's about what I'm building instead.
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Turning Point

In this episode, everything comes to a head. While venting my frustrations to the sellers’ agents, they unexpectedly add the owners to the email chain—whether intentionally or by accident, I still don’t know. What follows is a full-blown fallout. The owners are furious, I’m mortified, and it becomes painfully clear that their agents aren’t helping anyone navigate this deal with any professionalism.
Listening back, it might sound like I’m circling the same complaints—and I am. That’s exactly what it felt like at the time: stuck, confused, and convinced I was trying to buy a business with shifting rules and missing pieces. I wanted the store and felt like I was getting screwed.
I make amends with the owners and write them a low offer… but then: crickets. No response at all. And that silence becomes the message I need.
This is the moment I accept it’s time to move on—to find my own space, start sourcing inventory through estate sales, and shift fully into a new plan. It’s messy, emotional, and imperfect. But hindsight makes one thing clear: I had to walk away from that deal in order to be standing right here now, one step away from opening The Phoenix Used Bookshop.
(Any bleeps in this episode are intentional—to protect confidential business information.)
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as the story continues—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Misery of The Deal

In this episode, the back-and-forth over the bookstore sale gets even messier. I push the commercial agents to fix misleading disclosures—changes they now have to make for any future buyer, not just me—and request a revised P&L because removing online sales means the entire expense structure has to shift.
Then comes the confusion around back stock: the sellers plan to leave books but take some with them, and I’m left wondering why. What quality are they leaving behind? Why split it unevenly? What exactly am I buying if the core inventory walks out the door?
This episode dives into the gritty reality of deal mechanics—operating losses, incomplete disclosures, unclear inventory, and the constant renegotiation of what’s actually on the table. I also talk about Bookshop.org’s short-lived experiment with letting used bookstores list inventory through Book Loop, and end on the role of hope in future planning, agency, and staying committed when everything feels uncertain.
(Bleeps in this episode are intentional and used to protect confidential business information.)
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Things You Cannot Change…

In this episode, I finally sit down face-to-face with the owners of the used bookstore I’ve been trying to buy. I walk in hopeful-I walk out disillusioned. The owner tries to convince me I can turn the business around—even though it’s in the red—but the “levers” he suggests are either already in place or too small to matter.
Privately, I talk through the real levers: pricing, store flow, organization, systems, layout, customer experience… all the opportunities they’re missing. But even with all those fixes, the price tag still doesn’t make sense.
After a lot of deliberation, I finally name what I’m really paying for: the customer base and the reputation. Not the business as it stands. And that realization pushes me toward making a low-ball offer and biding my time.
(As always, bleeps in this episode are intentional—to protect confidential business information.)
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues its rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Gut Punch

In this episode, things finally move: after weeks of silence, the business owners get back to me with answers to my long list of questions. I get real insight straight from the source—everything from which genres sell best to how their hours actually impact foot traffic.
But then comes the gut punch.What I’m calling “The Hidden Dealbreaker.”
After all this time, I learn the business is not being sold with their online sales platform—information that was never disclosed upfront. It’s a major shift in the deal, and it forces me to reconsider what I’m actually trying to buy… and whether the purchase even makes sense anymore.
I also reference their P&L (profit and loss statement) several times, and you’ll hear bleeps throughout the episode—these are intentional, to protect confidentiality around the business’s proprietary financial information.
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to take shape—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com