We were lucky to catch up with Jen Hitchcock recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started Book Show after getting laid off from my job in the music business. This was in 2013. I had worked in Film/TV licensing at a major Music Publishing company for almost twenty years. When we got gobbled up by another Major, as these things go, the new owners got rid of a lot of the staff. I still remember waking up the first day I didn’t have to go to work and feeling so strange. And then, I had the most cliche (but important) response… I asked myself “what am I going to do with my life.” I was 40+ and burnt out from working in a “creative” industry that really is more corporate than creative most of the time.

Also around the time of my lay off, vinyl records were just starting to make their “come back.” Record stores were once again carrying them, younger people were freaking out about them and this fascinated me (I grew up on vinyl). And then my mind drifted to books… another love of mine. Everyone at this time was signing the death certificate for books. Bookstores were closing. Physical books were on their way out–“dying” according to just about everyone (except for us book folks of course). The Kindle, The Nook and all these other ereader devices were going to put the final nail in the coffin. So I thought… hmmmmm. I’m going to open a bookstore. I’ll get a head start on the inevitable trend… if vinyl can make a “come back,” I knew books would too. ha! And again… us bibliophiles knew better than to ever count the beauty of the physical book out. They will never go away.

I did know however I had to do something different. It couldn’t be just a traditional book store. And so, Book Show was born. I am a historian and archivist at heart, and love carnivals and sideshows and PT Barnum and traveling shows and roadside attractions and… you get the point. So, my book store became all this. They were my “freaks.” I displayed almost all the books cover facing out, in unusual settings and unconventional shelving. The space was painted like a circus tent. I curated the collection with all my heart and soul and love for weird books so primarily my stock was (and still is) unusual pop-culture leaning vintage books and ephemera. I also carried all kinds of fanzines (I am an old zinester), queer anything, local authors and small press. And the “show” part of Book Show was just that… SHOWS and community–having a space for people to gather and be themselves and a platform for local artists of all types to do their thing.

Jen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Simply put, I sell vintage and unusual books. But of course as any small business owner knows, it isn’t ever simple. Book Show is essentially an extension of what goes on inside my head. What was displayed in my shop when it was open, and what I sell online now… they are all little pieces of me. I curate from the heart. And I have found my people this way. My customers are incredibly loyal and I love them. One of the best things about having this business is sharing this fun with other people. When people “get it” it fills me with a type of joy I have not experienced in life ever.

I think one of the things I am most proud of is the community that came together around Book Show. As a brick and mortar, I hosted poetry nights, open mics, workshops of all types, literary readings, zine events, comedy events, storytelling events… and so much more. My philosophy as a space was to never say no to someone who came in with an impassioned idea. And out of that came some of the best nights and monthly events to happen at Book Show. To this day I continue to sell books online to my awesome community and produce a Queer Storytelling Night called Queer Spaces Storytelling at Stories in Echo Park. Yeah, so I think I am most proud of the community aspect of Book Show because I didn’t know I had it in me, to foster a space that brought so many people together in such a harmonious and vibrant way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I knew nothing about the book business when I opened my shop. Not. One. Thing. I still don’t really, to be honest. And in the book business, people have very specific ideas of what book shops should be, and Book Show was a bit… different.

I started out going with my gut, and curated my selection with stuff I loved. Books and items that spoke to me. And then, when I opened up my doors, I let the neighborhood speak to me, and nuanced what I was doing with what the people walking in my door wanted. For example, I noticed middle school kids would pop in on their walk home from school, so I started offering cheap but fun stickers and pins. They loved them. I built relationships with these kids, watched them grow into high school kids and graduate!! Then there were people that just wanted a good read for the bus or train, so I had a dollar cart with a selection of good general reads. It is a symbiotic relationship. This is how you build trust and relationships with your customers. To me, a book shop is a blend of business and community space. To this day, even though I am no longer in that neighborhood, 80% of my business still comes from that zip code!

I also hosted tons of local authors for literary events, and had a big local author section in my shop. I stayed true to my philosophy of rarely saying no to event proposal if they were coming from an authentic place. It is all about indie and underground for me. I met so many people from the LA literary community this way, and I think was a lot more easygoing than other event spaces, so built my reputation this way!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I decided to open my book store, I googled how much one might need to do such a thing and was met with “at least 50,000 to 100,000.” and promptly said… “F” that silliness, I have a DIY soul, I’m doing it. I had some severance money and the rest I raised through my own fundraising. I had a GoFundMe and also put together a show with bands playing and food and booze. Spoiler alert: I didn’t come close to raising what the internets told me I needed to open a bookshop.

The place I held the fundraiser was this art gallery/print studio called Nomad. Initially, I was just going to use the space for the fundraiser but they had this cool little room and asked me if I would like to open up shop there! The rent was far less than a conventional retail space, and it was such a cool spot, I leaped on the opportunity and for the first year in business was there. This was perfect for figuring out my business and building up a customer base that would continue to visit when I moved to a more traditional brick & mortar retail location.

The moral of the story is if you want to open a business you have GOT to think outside the box and follow your gut when it comes to raising capital. Don’t listen to advice put out there, in all likelihood, by bankers who want you to take out a loan!!!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @bookshowLA