We recently connected with Alyssa Pressler and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Starting a business is always a risk. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, and that includes a successful business, no matter what support you have or how good of an idea it is. I started That’s Novel Books in early 2020 after mentioning to my previous business partner that it was a dream of mine to own a used bookstore. It was a risk for him to give me the startup money needed, but I worked hard and within 3 months was ready to open. We held our grand opening party on February 28, 2020. Within 2 weeks we were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

So starting isn’t the only risk you take when you’re a business owner: you also have to take constant risks to keep going. With a brand new business idea, I had to try a lot of different ways to make some money during that long summer when we couldn’t open. We did contactless pick-up, blind date sales, outdoor sales with curated selections of books and more, just to try to keep momentum going. It was a risk for us to reopen in the fall, when Covid-19 was still a very real and very scary threat. And it was a risk for me to decide to start a family during that time, while still running a business and working full time. I loved That’s Novel Books and the community I was slowly growing, though, and knew I was on to something.

That didn’t mean the rest of the world was ready, though. My business partner approached me and told me he would sell me his part of That’s Novel, but that the bookstore could not survive on its own in the fall of 2021, which was true. People were not going out to shop or attending events just yet. We were all still reeling from the pandemic and Covid-19 numbers were spiking again. He asked me to open a retail collective with him, where we could create space for other small businesses to sell their goods, make rent and keep That’s Novel growing on the side. It was a risk, and one that felt like a failure, too. But ultimately he was write, and we opened Lokal together in November of 2021, providing a retail space for 35 local Charlotte businesses, including That’s Novel Books.

Over the past 2 years, Lokal allowed me to open my other small business, Moonshot Marketing, while other business owners helped me run the store. I learned a lot, discovered more about myself, and watched That’s Novel Books grow rapidly in its following and sales. Time and time again I thought to myself, “I think it’s time for That’s Novel to have it’s own space again,” but that was a scary risk. Was the bookstore making enough to pay rent on its own? Could I continue to grow and expand it? How could I increase sales and expand my offerings while also taking on more of a financial burden?

About 2 months ago, I decided the risk was worth it. I approached my business partner in Lokal and we decided to close the retail collective down at the end of the holidays. In 2024, That’s Novel Books will once again take over the full space, returning to its full vision while also expanding into carrying new books. It’s a huge, scary, big risk again, and this time I’m doing it on my own, without a business partner. But it’s a risk I feel ready to take on, and if there’s one thing I have learned over the past almost-4 years, it’s that business ownership is constant risks. They aren’t something to shy away from. A business that takes no risks is likely a business which will stagnate. I look forward to this risk, and many more.

Starting a business is always a risk. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, and that includes a successful business, no matter what support you have or how good of an idea it is. I started That’s Novel Books in early 2020 after mentioning to my previous business partner that it was a dream of mine to own a used bookstore. It was a risk for him to give me the startup money needed, but I worked hard and within 3 months was ready to open. We held our grand opening party on February 28, 2020. Within 2 weeks we were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

So starting isn’t the only risk you take when you’re a business owner: you also have to take constant risks to keep going. With a brand new business idea, I had to try a lot of different ways to make some money during that long summer when we couldn’t open. We did contactless pick-up, blind date sales, outdoor sales with curated selections of books and more, just to try to keep momentum going. It was a risk for us to reopen in the fall, when Covid-19 was still a very real and very scary threat. And it was a risk for me to decide to start a family during that time, while still running a business and working full time. I loved That’s Novel Books and the community I was slowly growing, though, and knew I was on to something.

That didn’t mean the rest of the world was ready, though. My business partner approached me and told me he would sell me his part of That’s Novel, but that the bookstore could not survive on its own in the fall of 2021, which was true. People were not going out to shop or attending events just yet. We were all still reeling from the pandemic and Covid-19 numbers were spiking again. He asked me to open a retail collective with him, where we could create space for other small businesses to sell their goods, make rent and keep That’s Novel growing on the side. It was a risk, and one that felt like a failure, too. But ultimately he was write, and we opened Lokal together in November of 2021, providing a retail space for 35 local Charlotte businesses, including That’s Novel Books.

Over the past 2 years, Lokal allowed me to open my other small business, Moonshot Marketing, while other business owners helped me run the store. I learned a lot, discovered more about myself, and watched That’s Novel Books grow rapidly in its following and sales. Time and time again I thought to myself, “I think it’s time for That’s Novel to have it’s own space again,” but that was a scary risk. Was the bookstore making enough to pay rent on its own? Could I continue to grow and expand it? How could I increase sales and expand my offerings while also taking on more of a financial burden?

About 2 months ago, I decided the risk was worth it. I approached my business partner in Lokal and we decided to close the retail collective down at the end of the holidays. In 2024, That’s Novel Books will once again take over the full space, returning to its full vision while also expanding into carrying new books. It’s a huge, scary, big risk again, and this time I’m doing it on my own, without a business partner. But it’s a risk I feel ready to take on, and if there’s one thing I have learned over the past almost-4 years, it’s that business ownership is constant risks. They aren’t something to shy away from. A business that takes no risks is likely a business which will stagnate. I look forward to this risk, and many more.

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.

That’s Novel Books started 4 years ago when my then boss, soon to be business co-owner and I were sitting in an empty space and I mentioned I’d always had a dream to own my own used bookstore. He provided me with the start up funds to create the business, and within 2 months we were open on February 28, 2020. WE’ve gone through many changes during the past four years, but just expanded in January, 2024 to include a curated selection of new books with our used books.

The thing I am most proud of with That’s Novel Books is the community we built. We started in the middle of a pandemic, when it was impossible to host events or even allow people to shop inside our location. Despite that, we’ve created a community of folks in Charlotte who love reading, writing and all things books over the past four years, as evidenced by our Silent Book Club having between 80-100 folks showing up each month to simply sit and read. I have had people message me and offer to volunteer in my store, I have a dedicated writing club who shows up every other week to write together. These individuals have become friends with each other outside of our events and continue to show up for That’s Novel in all we do, and I’m so grateful.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We started That’s Novel Books as a used bookstore on February 28, 2020. A week later, we had to close as the state entered a shut-down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our original vision for the store was to host weekly author events, open mics, and more, but with folks staying at home, that wasn’t possible. We pivoted to posting photos of our books and selling them through our Instagram, doing local, contactless pick up so we could try to pay off our start up debt. I also hosted several outdoor shopping events with a smaller curated selection of our books.

In 2021 we were back open to in-person shopping, but people were still hesitant to in-person shopping and events. At this point we paid off our start up debt, but needed to begin paying rent and did not have the traffic or sales to support this. At this point I purchased That’s Novel from my co-owner so I was the sole owner, and together we started the retail collective Lokal, which offered space to 35 Charlotte-based businesses to sell their items. It allowed That’s Novel the ability to grow without the pressure of a large overhead for 2 years, during which my following and sales steadily increased. In 2023 I realized the bookstore portion of the collective was the biggest driver of traffic and had the sales to support itself finally. In early 2024 we pivoted again, closing the retail collective and I reopened That’s Novel, expanding into bookish items and new books from publishers.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have been a key player in the local book scene for a while because I run a “bookstagram,” or an Instagram account mostly dedicated to talking about books and sharing book reviews. I had built my following on that platform to over 2,000 folks when I opened That’s Novel Books, and saw many folks follow me from there. Since then my book store account has surpassed my bookstagram, with over 4,000 followers, 10,000 reached on average, and a high engagement rate.

I think there are a few reasons we’ve done well on social media, but I think the main reason is my authenticity. I have never shied away from being extremely honest and open with my audience, and they appreciate that. When they come into the store they feel like they know me and know the business well because I share all the good, the bad and the ugly. I very rarely try to “sell” on my Instagram, and instead focus on showcasing the community, talking about business and life, and sharing some good stories.

I also know my audience well because, for the most part, I am my ideal audience. I know what they like to see and interact with. I know makes them excited. I know their passion for books, and I can speak to that.

Finally, consistency is key. I consistently post, engage with other accounts, answer messages and respond to comments. I find that if you run your business account as if you are a real person, you are rewarded.

Contact Info:

• Website: thatsnovelbooks.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thatsnovelbooks
• Facebook: facebook.com/thatsnovelbooks

Image Credits
Julia Fay Photography