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

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

The Wheel of Fortune

In this episode, something shifts. Whether or not I get the bookstore I’ve been pursuing, I realize I’m doing this—I’m going to open a used bookshop.
The morning starts with uncertainty, so I pull a tarot card to help ground myself in intuition. I get The Wheel of Fortune, and the message couldn’t be clearer: what’s meant for me will find me. By the afternoon, I’ve made up my mind to reach out directly to the owners and finally get some clarity about the business sale.
There are cats everywhere in this episode (of course), and I start thinking about the kind of culture I want to create—using the VIA Character Strengths framework (viacharacter.org) to build a workplace rooted in purpose, values, and authenticity. I talk about systems, handbooks, and the quiet power of getting organized for what’s next.
🐦‍🔥 Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe and share (!) to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com

The Struggle is Real...

In this episode, I’m still waiting — and waiting — to hear back about my offer to buy the used bookstore. What begins as cautious optimism turns into frustration as the commercial agent goes completely MIA.
I talk about the endless email maze, a little numerology (because sometimes you need signs when logic fails), and my growing decision to reach out directly to the owners after weeks of silence. Along the way, I reflect on Rebel Bookseller: How to Improvise Your Own Indie Store and Beat Back the Chains by Andrew Laties, a book that helped me feel less alone in the struggle.
With Inauguration Day approaching, I find myself thinking about what it means to stand for free speech and sustainability — and how creating a green, community-focused bookstore can be its own quiet form of resistance.
🕊️ Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to unfold — subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com.

The Intentions

In this episode, I step back from the chaos of logistics to look inward — developing my why for opening a used bookstore. I make lists of what I’m good at versus what I actually enjoy, what brings me joy, and what I truly need.
Through that process, I talk about Self-Determination Theory and how understanding autonomy, competence, and relatedness helps me find motivation on hard days. There’s also an unplanned kitten cameo — because of course there is.
This episode is about honoring intention while being realistic about your own abilities — learning that sometimes what you can do isn’t what you want to build a life around.
🕊️ Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop takes shape — subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com.

The Quagmire and the Pause

In this episode, I dive into the part of the story no one glamorizes — the logistical nightmare of trying to buy an existing used bookstore. Referrals, agents, lawyers, endless emails — it all turned into a quagmire that left me questioning whether the deal was even meant to happen.
But somewhere in the waiting, I found something unexpected: gratitude. The slow timing gave me space to shore up my life for the changes that were coming, and to start trusting that maybe everything was unfolding exactly as it should.
🐦‍🔥 Want to follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop takes shape?Subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com