Meet Izzy Stringham | Bookstore Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Izzy Stringham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Izzy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been a creative person, and a very simple answer is that creativity makes me happy! I find that in my work life and career, I’m always happiest when I can incorporate creativity into my work. I’ve had many different jobs in the past, including teaching skiing, running a baby products design company, and working in retail. I’ve noticed that whenever my job enables my creative side, my work is better, more successful and more profitable. I really believe that tapping into my artistic vein gives me an authenticity that customers will pick up on in my work. In my current project of opening an Independent Bookshop, the entire platform is about creativity. Writing, storytelling and art fill my days, and whether I am recommending a fantastic new book or helping someone pick out journals and art supplies, I’m directly able to engage my true creative side with someone else looking for the same experience. I’m genuinely excited about these things and I love to share the authenticity of that with customers. Bookstores inhabit creative aspect of storytelling at their core, and it is the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has taken a long and winding road. I studied Literature at the University of Portland in Portland OR, and worked incredibly hard to graduate early and without any student debt. I had three jobs all through school, lived with lots of roommates and took 21 credits one semester to leave school free from the chains of debt. I credit that decision with making all the things I’ve done since possible. While my college friends were desperately working as waitresses to pay their loans back in Portland, I left Oregon for Snowmass, Colorado to ski for a winter and was able to volunteer a whole season teaching the disabled how to ski. I learned to work hard and take nothing for granted. I ate a lot of rice and beans, drove a really old car, but my time and money was my own. A few years later, I enrolled in the graduate program at the Publishing Institute in Denver, and really dove into books as a profession, learning about all facets of the industry. Marriage, children, more skiing, work in online and in person bookshops, and design work followed, but books always stayed in the back of my mind. In each job I took along the way I, applied my belief in working hard and allowing my creative self to find a place in my work. If I worked hard, I would succeed. If I was creative, I would be happy. If a job didn’t allow for these things in my life, I eventually moved on. My proudest moment is that White River Books exists and the last two months I’ve been open for business. This shop is a culmination for me of many years of hard work, learning the book business, learning to be brave and go for what makes me happy. My town (Carbondale, CO) has gone 12 years since the last bookstore closed. To see the excitement of the faces of customers that there is a bookstore here again is humbling and thrilling. I brought this into being!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Carbondale is the greatest small town. We have so many things to do and unique places to visit. There are plenty of outdoor pursuits available: mountain biking, skiing, fishing, hiking and fantastic restaurants to hit up at night. I would hike Mushroom Rock to take the valley views of Mt. Sopris. Make time for steak frites and a cider kir at Allegria. Definitely get coffee and pastries from Bonfire Coffee (I go almost every day), and wander along the Art Walk or through the quaint downtown core to enjoy sculpture and mural art. I like stopping at Lulubelle to find fabulous clothes and shop for accessories. Just a few miles south of town, spend a day soaking in the natural hot springs at Avalanche Ranch. I also like to bike along the Roaring Fork River and stop to dip my toes in the water at various boat launches and fishing spots. Finish the week off with Thai and cocktails at Phat Thai on Main Street.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jamie Maybon, at Coldwell Banker Mason Morse real estate deserves a huge shoutout from me. She’s a friend of over twenty years and is an amazing real estate agent. She has quietly supported my ideas for a long time, and was instrumental in getting my bookstore going. We share a huge love of reading, books and supporting authors. She found me the space my store is currently renting and her industry expertise made that first step, signing a commercial lease, happen seamlessly. Once I’d done that, I was committed! I have her to thank for the support and the nudge to get this going.

Website: www.whiteriverbooks.org

Instagram: @whiteriverbooks

Facebook: www.faceboook.com/whiteriverbooks