We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Ackley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

I would like to believe that there are many things that The Bookmatters does to set us apart from industry standards. When I say industry standard, I’m referring to big box bookstores and online giants. They set the stage for everything that happens because of their size and hold on the market. Independent bookstores are only able to stay in business because of the actions that set us apart from the industry behemoths.

At the core of any successful independent bookstore is great customer service and creating community. The Bookmatters team truly enjoys working with a customer to find their next read. People understand genuine, authentic care. They get when a team member is engaged with them and willing to listen. It’s a service not available in big box or online. On top of providing one on one customer care, every month there are events to draw the community into our space. This isn’t just in an effort to sell more product, but to reinforce that The Bookmatters is a place to gather. We want people to come and meet other people in the community. We want them to engage with other avid readers and authors.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The Bookmatters is an independent bookstore located in charming Milford, Ohio which is just outside of downtown Cincinnati. It is women owned and women run. Our selection is carefully curated in the hopes of drawing in readers of all types. Our staff is specially trained in the art of hand selling and customer service. Part of our mission is to give back to our community by donating books to under resourced students.

My name is Amanda Ackley and I am the owner of The Bookmatters. Previously, I founded the Blue Manatee Literacy Project, which was a nonprofit bookstore. For every book sold a book was donated to an under resourced student. My background is in finance and operations so when I decided to get into the book business, I knew I needed to surround myself with experienced book people. The Bookmatters is run by an amazing team of booksellers, while I concentrate on revenue generation, technology and operations. I count the staff I hired as the best, most important decision I made for my business.

Our Director, Isa Fernandez, is a key decision maker for the bookstore along with doing all of the book buying. Our Store Manager, Bailey Roy, runs the day to day tasks at the bookstore. She is also our graphic designer and is responsible for creating the overall “vibe” of the store. Our Lead Bookseller, Kenzie Hahn, keeps everyone smiling and does a wonderful job of hand-selling to customers. The team’s skill sets are complimentary, which is such a benefit to the business as a whole.

When Isa and I discussed the selection of books for the opening of The Bookmatters, we knew that we wanted a beautifully curated collection that represented people from all walks of life. No matter who walks in the door, we want that person to feel welcome in our space and to be able to find representation on our shelves.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of the things that sets The Bookmatters apart is our creative events. The Team comes up with some fantastic ideas. They are young and in-the-know, so for the most part, I, as the owner, stay out of their way. They do Adult Book Fairs and Books and Buzz ( matching drinks with recommended books), which you see other stores doing but every once in a while they come up with a truly unique idea. For example, this past Fall, they put together the “None of This is True Haunted Tour” of Milford.

Milford, OH is one of the most charming areas in Cincinnati. It dates back to the late 1700s so you can imagine that most of the businesses, including The Bookmatters, are located in these fabulous old buildings. The Bookmatters Team decided we needed to do a haunted ghost tour of Olde Milford. They set to work developing a script which combined bits of true history with a whole lot of made up history. We charged a nominal fee to do the walk and required RSVPs. It quickly sold out. The day of the tour, Kenzie led a group of 20 people up and down the streets of Olde Milford telling them the a bunch of f*ke news. It was hilarious and everyone loved it. They loved it so much we immediately had requests to do it again. We ended up running it 5 more times and plan to do it again this year. The perks of having a creative, energetic team? An event the community loves with very little overhead cost.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The Bookmatters is a relatively new bookstore, opened in late 2022. I count its existence as one of the biggest blessings in my life because there was a bit of time I thought I was done with the book industry.

I started the Blue Manatee Literacy Project in 2019. It was originally a 30 year old, beloved children’s bookstore that was a staple of the Oakley community. When I took over ownership, it was turned it into a non profit that donated a book for every book sold. It became my life’s work. I was passionate about the mission and dedicated to seeing this new concept for a bookstore work. When Covid hit, it was a really tough time. I had to lay off the staff and take over running the store by myself. I offered online orders, curbside pickup and delivery. It was exhausting but it worked. We came back after Covid but just as things were starting to get back to normal, a letter arrived in the mail. At the start of 2022, we lost our lease on our space. There was nothing to do but close down and regroup. It was by far the most depressing time of my life. Now I was laying off employees and they had no government aid. I was closing a store with a 30 year history. I was burnt out from keeping the store alive during Covid. Maybe it was time to just be done with books.

It took a good six months of soul searching to realize that the job that brings me the most joy is running a bookstore. I didn’t want to go back to consulting. I wanted to own another bookstore. Luckily, Isa, who worked for me at The Blue Manatee, was willing to jump right back into a new business venture with me. We found the perfect spot in Milford and set to work to open up The Bookmatters. No longer specializing in just children’s books allowed us to explore different avenues for revenue, marketing and customer acquisition. The Bookmatters has brought me more happiness than I ever could have imagined. It has allowed me to learn even more about the book industry. It better represents me as a person because I created it from the ground up as opposed to taking over someone else’s concept.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebookmatters.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/the_bookmatters/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebookmatters
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_bookmatters