The One Year Check-In

Opening a used bookstore: One year in—Stef travels to Philadelphia, visits The Last Word bookshop, connects with the owner (25 years in the business!), navigates the emotional rollercoaster of rental space hunting, and realizes word-of-mouth marketing is building momentum. The work is paying off.

In this episode, I hit the one-year mark of this journey, and it feels surreal. I travel to Philadelphia and visit my favorite used bookshop: The Last Word. And in a moment I didn't expect, I meet the owner—someone who's been running a used bookshop for 25 years. We talk shop, literally, and he offers to be an email buddy. I can't even express how much that means. To have someone who's been in the trenches willing to share knowledge? That's gold.

Back home, the rental space search saga continues with highs and lows, highs and lows. It's exhausting. But I'm holding on.

What's keeping me going? The small business owner connections I've made along the way. The support, the shared frustrations, the advice—it's a community I didn't know I needed until I was in it.

And here's something that's making me so happy: I check my email and two or three times a week now there are people reaching out to share their books with me. Strangers. Neighbors. Friends of friends. Word of mouth is building. And in the marketing world, word-of-mouth marketing is the GOLD standard. You can't buy it. You can't force it. You earn it.

All the work I've been doing—the podcast, the Little Free Library refreshes, the community presence—it's kicking in. People are starting to know The Phoenix, even though the doors aren't open yet.

Current Book Count: ~11,000+

One year in. Still standing. Still rising. 

🐦‍🔥 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:

• The Last Word (Philadelphia)
• Sign up for a free Little Free Library refresh.