The David & Goliath Thing

Opening a used bookstore: November 2025—Stef meets with the landlord and then gets hit with breaking news: there's another bidder. Cue the David and Goliath showdown. Now all she can do is wait, hope, and trust that community matters more than raking in the dough.

In this episode, I finally meet with the potential landlord. I lay it all out—the vision, the plan, the commitment to Mill Valley, the community impact. And then: breaking news. There's another bidder. And they're bigger, safer, offering more money. Classic David and Goliath.

All I can do now is wait and hope the landlord chooses what's best for the community—not just what's easiest or most financially secure for them. I have to trust that my vision matters, that a used bookstore serving this town is worth the risk.

My books and I are ready. We have a floor plan. Shelves are ready to order. Partners are lined up. I just need someone to believe in me.

I also take a moment to express gratitude toward my commercial agent, who has been advocating for me through all of this. Without her, I wouldn't even be in the running.

And I can't help but wonder at the movie-like quality of it all. This whole journey—the failed acquisition, the pivot, the 10,000+ books, the perfect space, the competing bidder—it feels like a story someone wrote. Except it's real, and I'm living it, and I don't know how it ends yet.

Current Book Count: ~10,000+

David versus Goliath. The Phoenix versus... well, we'll see.

🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com.