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

Hi Renee, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Until I was about 15 years old, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. Then I cut my finger open while chopping some carrots and promptly passed out on the kitchen floor. After that I started re-evaluating my career decision, thinking someone who passed out at the site of blood would not make the best veterinarian. By the time I got to college, I had decided to fall back on my other great love: books and writing. As I got older, however, I realized veering away from a career in science was less about a minor case of hemophobia (during my undergrad, I minored in zoology and performed many dissections) and more about me being ill-suited to such a specialized field. I have a healthy dose of curiosity and like to try and explore new things. Pursuing a creative career allows me to discover so many things and interact with so many unique and interesting people on a day-to-day basis. I can get bored easily doing the same thing over and over (it’s why I don’t think I could ever work an office job without losing my marbles). Working with books, especially, brings me into contact with people of all kinds of backgrounds and expertise, both within my own community and on a national and global scale. Being immersed in the creative community helps me understand and connect with others as much as it helps me express and understand myself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The Crowded Bookshelf sort of happened by accident. I definitely hadn’t planned to start a pop-up bookstore until about 3 months before I launched it. But life is weird and unexpected that way! I have a background working in a brick and mortar bookstore, which was definitely helpful when it came to starting up my own store. However, there was still a fairly steep learning curve in transitioning to a non-traditional store model. A lot of what I had learned working in a brick and mortar could be done in a pop-up setting, but I really had to tap into my creativity and adaptability in order to fill in the gaps. What’s the best way to get orders to customers? How do I best display my merchandise in a limited space? What does my website need that a traditional brick and mortar store might not? Where do I host events? I feel really lucky to live in such a supportive community because without local partnerships my business model would look very different than what it is now. I’ve been so welcomed and well-received both by the businesses that host my pop-ups and the reading community of Fort Collins. The relationships that I have cultivated within my community are one of the things I am most proud of. I’m always looking for ways to give back, too. There are several non-profits I have established partnerships with to help the organization as well as the people they serve. I’ve worked with the library and local schools to host author events. When possible, I provide donation items to local groups for fundraisers and silent auctions. Books are a luxury item that not everyone can afford but everyone deserves access to. (Of course, the library is a great resource that should be supported as well, but it is always nice to own your own books, too.)
Running a bookstore, even just a pop-up store, is a lot of work for one person. But I love that it gives me the opportunity to provide one-on-one service with every one of my customers. It allows me to learn their tastes and better help them find a book they’ll love. I get to meet so many lovely and interesting people at my pop-ups. It is definitely one of the best parts of the job. Another thing I am particularly proud of about my store and would like more people to know is that one of my specialties is books on death and dying. Based on the number of death and dying books I sell at my pop-ups, it is clearly becoming a more mainstream topic (which I love), and I have a great reading list that I’m constantly updating. You’ll get no weird looks from me if you’re looking for a book by a mortician!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Running a pop-up bookshop has brought me into contact with so many great organizations and local businesses, it would be hard to come up with just a week’s worth of activities! Here is a brief rundown of some of the fun things we could do.

Dinner at Tasty Harmony followed by cocktails and jazz at Jay’s Bistro
Catch a show at the Aggie, The Magic Rat, The Lyric, or one of the many other local music venues
See some comedy at the Comedy Fort
Hike Horsetooth, or spend some time on the reservoir
Take a brewery tour, with notable favorites: Odell’s, Purpose Brewing, Intersect Brewing, Horse & Dragon Brewing, Funwerks…it might need to be a two day brewery tour
Enjoy a sweet treat at Retreat Bakery Bar
Visit the Museum of Discovery and see the exhibits
Try our luck at trivia night at Pour Brothers Tavern
Take a walk through one of the many natural areas in town

The list could go on! But I think this list hits some of the highlights of the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh gosh, it is a long list, but here are the major players. My mother, for supporting and encouraging me and allowing me to fill the house with even more books.
My father, for sharing his business acumen with me and giving me the tools I needed to start my own company.
All of my friends and family who supported me in this endeavor and buy their books from me and sometimes do a better job of marketing my business than I do.
All of my fellow small business owners who have welcomed me into their shops.
And the Fort Collins community that has showed its love and support for my little pop-up bookshop.

Website: thecrowdedbookshelf.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrowdedbookshelffc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecrowdedbookshelf/

Other: TikTok: @thecrowdedbookshelffc

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