We had the good fortune of connecting with Inklings Bookstore and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Inklings, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Small Indie Bookstores have become incredibly at risk of shuttering their businesses. With the advent of Amazon, it was not only easier to search for the exact book you’re looking for from the comfort of your home but it also became cheaper. Amazon can buy significantly high quantities of books and then heavily discount them. This is something that brick-and-mortar bookstore cannot do. We have limited warehouse space, limited capital and incredible overhead cost for just keeping the lights and heat on plus wages for any employees if we’re lucky enough to employ anyone beyond ourselves. Bookstores have a unique plight in that the inventory we stock has literally millions of choices. We could never carry every title ever written. Choosing our back list items requires a skill of knowing your customers very well and curating titles you think they would regularly come in for. Another little tidbit few people know about us is that special orders are what keeps our business running. Many people think they’ll inconvenience us if they ask us to order a book that isn’t already on our shelves but it is quite the contrary. If it isn’t on our shelves, there’s a strong likelihood that we can get it in. We also have a surprisingly quick turnaround. Special orders do not upset us, they are the main staple of our business. It’s also incredibly difficult to be aware of every new title or print of a publication so having readers come in and make us aware of new titles is incredibly helpful to put new books on our radar.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Inklings Bookstore has been a business in Holyoke since the 90s as a bookstore in some capacity through 5 different owners, myself making up 2 of those owners as I’ve owned the bookstore two separate times. This bookstore is a gem in our small town that boasts big-city products with small town service. Inklings is a huge supporter of local authors, regularly offering author signing events to promote and support authors and illustrators that are home-grown in our town and also in greater Colorado. We also do a monthly Storytime for the kids that usually is paired with a fun craft or activity, always for free. One of our favorite events we’ve put on was for the anniversary of Harry Potter. We made a Wizard Wanted Photo Booth, hung flying envelopes from the ceiling, had a special Harry Potter themed cake made at the local bakery, served butter beer and asked patrons to come to the event in costume for our Extreme Harry Potter Trivia Game. We try to put items on our shelves that promote literacy in some capacity but toys related to books and stories are our favorites. Doing business in a small town, there’s an abundance of charitable opportunities and we enjoy pulling together items to go with silent auctions for all our local foundations. Book clubs always get a discount for club members getting their books through us as well as churches and other organizations. We host book club nights and Bible studies. Our beloved bookstore is located inside the Olde Holyoke Square. Through the years this incredible building has housed many businesses, namely a used furniture store, an antique store and a glassware boutique. These days, the entities that call the Olde Holyoke Square home are My Country Cupboards, a cottage foods mercantile, coffee & bake shop, Inklings Academy Homeschool Resource Center and SY7 Messicanic Assembly. This large building has made many dreamers dreams come true from my dream of continuing on a bookstore and creating a homeschool resource center, my sister’s dream of being an art teacher for the homeschool cooperative, my friend’s dream of owning a cottage foods store and another group’s dream of expanding their congregation’s worship services from their home to a larger building. The building comes with its challenges but it is a blessing to many and provides so much for our community. Inklings is a general bookstore and we carry everything from fiction, chick-lit, nonfiction, Christian fiction, self-held, Christian and inspirational and political science but the mainstay of our business is always children’s and youth titles. We devote a large amount of our floor space to curating great children’s books and promote families that read.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our trip would be in the autumn. We’d start our day at My Country Cupboards with a latte and one of Jodi’s famous cinnamon rolls. Then, of course, we’d go next door and check out the bookstore and buy a book or two or three. After we finished there we would head over to Creative Traditions and pick out fabric for our next sewing project for our handmade Christmas gifts. We’d go straight from there to see if there was a yoga class we could sign up for later in the week at the Holyoke Fitness Center. After that we’d go next door to Heidi’s at the Oak Tree and go shopping and order a fancy decorated cake for later. Then we’d go across the street to Printers Paper & More and check out their unique gift items. Then for lunch, we’d go to Thompson’s Grill & Market and get whatever the special is but hopefully it would be a roast beef sandwich with their fries. After lunch, we’d get in the vehicle and drive to Paoli to shop at the Turquoise Chandelier to buy some cute new tops. After we get done there, we’d head back to Holyoke and do more shopping for adorable clothes at Class & Sass Boutique. When we get done there, we’d have to make a stop at my all-time favorite place in Holyoke, The Heginbotham Library and go see Miss Kathy and have her take us on a tour. When we get done there, we’d load up and head out in the country and go see my family’s place, Painted Arrow Ranch where we raise performance American Paint horses. From there we would go to Pumpkins & More and go through the corn maze and pick out some pumpkins to carve later at the Phillips County Event Center for the 4H Extension Pumpkin Carving Night. We’d head back to town and go to Homesteaders Park and enjoy the sunset. Then we’d have to go get supper at Happy Jack’s BBQ. When we got done eating, we’d head to the Peerless Theatre to catch the new movie and grab some popcorn and drinks. We’d end the day with a trip out to the Holyoke Lion’s Club Fishing Pond to go see the stars. If we had more time than just this one day, we would go swimming one day at the Holyoke Swiming Pool, check out Country Treasures Floral and More, go to the Phillips County Museum, and do a paint party class at the Olde Holyoke Square with Brianna Brauer.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Hands down this shoutout would be dedicated to my Gramma. Without her, none of this would have been possible. She took a humungous leap of faith to make this happen. She sold her ranch in Fort Collins to purchase this building and bookstore. She had decided she had closed a chapter of her life in Fort Collins and that she was up for a new adventure. So, she packed up her life, purchased the bookstore with the sale of the ranch and decided to go into business with me and my sister. She volunteers all of her time, wisdom and services to running this building just purely out of the kindness of her own heart. She’s the most selfless person I know and would do anything for her family. She will leave a legacy in this world of family-first, if someone tells you that you can’t do it… prove them wrong and go big or go home! She’s got more drive in her little finger than most possess in their entire lifetime. My sister and I have watched her pursue her dream of owning and running a ranch where she raised cattle and horses which she passed down to the two of us to also become big dreamers. We’ve had bumps along the way but she always says “God has a plan” and when certain obstacles come our way, she gives us the courage to face them.
Website: www.inklingsbookstore.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inklingsacademybookstore
Other: https://libro.fm/?bookstore=inklingsbookstore to purchase audiobooks but still support our bookstore
Image Credits
image credit to Brianna Brauer Photography