We recently connected with Candace Rivera and have shared our conversation below.

Candace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

As a bookstore, our mission is for everyone to feel represented on our shelves. We all want to feel seen and heard, especially in our communities. It’s incredibly meaningful to see others like you on the shelves. It’s helps us to feel less alone. Less like we’re the only one.

That sentiment comes from a personal space as well. As a Latina, I often felt like the only while I was working in corporate America. I often felt like I wasn’t represented or understood. That’s why I sought out diversity groups and programs to be apart of at work. That eventually led me to a career pivot, where I worked on communications and events related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I wanted to do my part to share stories of the underrepresented professionals in the corporate world and shine a bright spotlight on the great work that they’re doing.

While I was in DEI-related work, I saw the absolute best and worst of companies. I helped promote terrific programs that moved the needle on representation and inclusion. I also saw the absolute worst and heard many stories from underrepresented populations who were extremely frustrated with the microaggressions that they faced daily, complacent leadership, and an overall lack of diversity (ethnicities, identities, points of view).

Many DEI professionals can attest that this work is both really rewarding and a constant uphill battle. I’ve seen many become burnt out, including myself. This is also because DEI teams are usually a small group of people (10 or less) and are given the task of basically solving racism at that company of thousands of people. News flash – it takes everyone not just one small team leading the charge.

When I was laid off from Google in 2023, along with 12,000 other Googlers, I had to figure out what to do next.

By then, I was exhausted from working in corporate America for the past 10 years for a few different Fortune 500 companies and wanted a fresh start.

I always wanted to own a bookstore. I wanted to center it on representation from the books we carry to the events we hold. I love what I’m doing now.

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

– I run the only bookstore in Warwick, NY, and just opened on August 23, 2023. The nearest bookstore besides mine is over 30 minutes away – making my store the most convenient option for nearby towns.

A little about me and The Book & Nook:
– I am Puerto Rican and was born and raised in NY state.
– I am the first person in my family to open a store and am also the first one to earn a Bachelor’s degree.
– This is my first business. I opened it after spending 10 years in corporate.
– I am a professional writer and event manager. I spent my corporate career establishing and executing communication plans for Fortune 500 companies.
– The comms campaigns I worked on were mainly diversity, equity, and inclusion-related.
– My job was to shine a bright spotlight on employees of underrepresented communities, who historically have been overlooked.
– My commitment to DEI has also influenced the store’s mission…..to carry books for all ages and backgrounds. – I want everyone to see themselves represented on our shelves. It means so much, especially for underrepresented communities.
– I have always been a lover of books and decided to take the leap to pursue my dream of running a bookstore and working for myself.
– I am the sole owner of the store.
– 1,000 square foot store
– We carry new, used, antique, rare, signed, and first-edition books.
– We carry new and vintage comics – as well as graphic novels.
– We also carry stationery, toys, jewelry, tote bags, and more.
– Supporting and featuring local authors is also a big part of our mission. We have upcoming events that feature local authors, and we also have a local authors shelf.
– As a millennial Hispanic woman bookstore owner – I know I am one of very few.
– So, I am excited to have this unique opportunity to amplify the many voices and stories of authors in my community and around the world.

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

I first thought about the accounts I follow on social media and what I like about them. I studied which posts got the most engagement and all of the elements they used (visual, length of the caption, call to action, etc). What I eventually landed on is that I wanted our social media accounts to not only promote upcoming events and new books in-stock, but I also wanted the page to have a personality. I wanted our followers and customers to get to know who we are, even without stepping inside our store.

To make that happen I use a few different tools:

Canva is an essential tool for us at this point – I use it everyday to create event visuals, logos, stickers, designs for our tote bags, and more.

I also use Capcut, which helps us to make silly videos and reels. They have a large library of templates that you can easily customize in a few minutes. One of our reels featuring Lisa Rinna got over 50,000 views and lots of new followers beyond our local community.

We also regularly post about local and major authors (e.g., an upcoming event, a book recommendation, etc.). Many will re-share or engage with the post, which helps us grow our visibility and following.

Additionally, there are local influencers and pages that will share our events with their followers for fun things to do that weekend.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts is one of my favorite books about the workplace ever. I have a signed copy of the book and also listened to the audiobook. The audio book felt like my corporate bestie was giving me advice and relating to my experiences. As a Latina, it really resonated with me, because I often felt like “the only” in corporate America. Her book helped give voice to some of the things that I was already feeling and helped me feel less alone. It is now one of my go-to recommendations as a bookseller.

Here’s the book synopsis:

From microaggressions to the wage gap, The Memo empowers women of color with actionable advice on challenges and offers a clear path to success.

Most business books provide a one-size-fits-all approach to career advice that overlooks the unique barriers that women of color face. In The Memo, Minda Harts offers a much-needed career guide tailored specifically for women of color.

Drawing on knowledge gained from her past career as a fundraising consultant to top colleges across the country, Harts now brings her powerhouse entrepreneurial experience as CEO of The Memo to the page. With wit and candor, she acknowledges “ugly truths” that keep women of color from having a seat at the table in corporate America. Providing straight talk on how to navigate networking, office politics, and money, while showing how to make real change to the system, The Memo offers support and long-overdue advice on how women of color can succeed in their careers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebookandnookwarwick.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookandnook/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebookandnookstore/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-rivera-ny/