We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stefanie Corbin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stefanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My business is a Black, woman-owned bookstore, amplifying books and authors that are Black, Indigenous, and people of color for adults, teens and children. We are the only Black-owned bookstore on the south coast of Massachusetts and one of 4 Black-owned bookstores in the state. My bookstore is specifically designed to showcase books that represent the Black, Indigenous, and POC community, as well as, encompass a space for inclusivity and diversity. My bookstore highlights all aspects of BIPOC stories, such as, science fiction, romance, thrillers, poetry, cooking, art, and history. My bookstore provides a comfortable space to sit and relax while choosing the perfect book. My bookstore provides online ordering for those not able to physically visit the store and offers in store book ordering for customers who are looking for a specific book that is not on our shelves.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The story of how “Footprints Bookshop came to be, started during the pandemic of 2020. I was a restaurant manager when the pandemic caused businesses to shut their doors and by March 2020 I was officially laid off. My immediate response was to go home, get under my covers, and ugly cry. I was 45 years old. There were no jobs to apply for as the world had shut down. After screaming into my pillow, I knew I had to start planning. Time to become strategic and survive this sudden outcome.
My youngest child would be graduating from college that May, and would have his own apartment and start graduate school in the fall. This meant I would no longer have any children in the house and could essentially take a financial risk, while not having to worry (in theory) about failing.

I decided to finally pursue my life long dream of owning my own bookstore. As a single parent of three children, this dream had been put on hold for 20 years. In participation of “one day” my dream becoming a reality, I had started taking the necessary steps to achieve my goal. I had already completed a small business course and created my business plan a couple years prior. I had money saved, I had worked on my credit and was in great standing. I suppose, all I needed was the “push”, which the pandemic provided.

During this time period the country was experiencing extreme racial injustices. George Floyd had been killed by police. Our Black children were witnessing an insurmountable amount of racism online and by their white peers. This made it clear to me, “We”, as a people, needed a safe space for “US”.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am a single mother of three children. I graduated high school with two babies ( 6 and 18 months old). My dream of going to college was no longer an option. Instead, I obtained a vocational certificate and entered the workforce. While employed at an investment firm, as a business analyst, I raised my children. Reading was a life line to my sanity. Books have always been a huge part of my life. As a child, the library was my sanctuary. It wasn’t until my teenage years, I found books that represented me. Books by Black authors with life stories I could relate to. As my children matured, I encouraged their reading as well. By the time I entered my mid-twenties, I realized I wanted to open a bookstore, but this dream would have to wait. It was important to me to make sure that my children all received their post graduate degrees, because that’s what I wanted for myself. Their educational success became my first priority. I only considered myself accomplished when all three of them successfully completed their goals and were situated in their respective fields of study. Currently, my eldest is the Associate Principal of a high school (with his Master’s Degree). My middle child is a therapist (she just finished her third Master’s Degree). My youngest son has obtained his masters and is currently enrolled Ph.D. program. It was through my professional planning and experienced guidance that these children became prepared for adulthood. I treated their pathway to success as if it was my business plan. Perseverance and resiliency are part of being a single parent. Giving up isn’t an option. I have brought this same mindset to owning my own business. I am proud we have made it through the trials and tribulations of opening a new business, and hope to continue on this journey bringing much needed representation to the BIPOC community.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I originally opened my brick and mortar bookstore on 4/21/2021 in Buzzards Bay, MA. It seemed like the perfect location. On Main St., across from the Cape Cod Canal ( a highly populated tourist destination) with a beautiful store front view of the ocean. Unfortunately, the foot traffic wasn’t sufficient enough to continue at that location with the high cost of overhead. I had to make the difficult decision to pivot and leave behind my dream location and much loved bookshop. I moved my bookstore about 20 mins away to an old textile mill being renovated into a commerce space with over 50 other small retail businesses. As the mill was still under construction and just starting to gain a following, I had to make the decision to move to a space with less overhead expenses, but still not at its full potential. These decisions don’t come easy as a small business owner, where revenue can make or break you. Nonetheless, a decision had to be made, and I moved forward with reopening my bookstore at the new location. We are still here, and still working each day on marketing via social media, pop- up events, and networking events to get the word out. As a small business owner, riisk taking is difficult when your livelihood depends on it, but without risk, there’d be no success story.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footprints.bookshop/
• Facebook: footprints bookshop
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/footprints-bookshop-new-bedford
• Other: website: https://footprintscafellc.com

Image Credits
Credits are Stefanie Corbin