Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Koepke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carrie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I am still learning to be comfortable with accolades, so I don’t necessarily want to be remembered in any specific terms. What I do deeply desire is to have created meaningful impact through the space we have built and the services we provide at Skylark Bookshop. People often inquire what the best part of bookselling is and my reply sounds cheesy, but it is deeply true. There is not a feeling in the world like putting the right book in the right hands at the right time. Customers may not remember that I was the one to do that, but they will remember the impact of reading something that changes them, or just that they needed what it gave in the moment, not to mention that magical feeling of being cared for in a bookshop. I know that books have absolutely and irrevocably changed who I am, for the better, and I want to provide that for others. To be perfectly honest, I am good at providing that for others. So I want my legacy to simply be those changes people have, and feel, and pass on . . . in the smallest moments of feeling relief or comfort, to the massive moments of realizing who they are and who they can be.

Carrie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

All through High School and College, I worked several jobs. The best of those jobs was bookselling. It was never something I considered to be a career choice, even though I wished it could be. It was a job I left to start a family, and when that bookshop closed I mourned the loss. I knew that of all of my interests, it was unexpectedly the one that felt right. Years later, my business partner presented the opportunity to help create and open Skylark Bookshop and six years later we have something we are extraordinarily proud of.

Skylark is a unique space with an open feel and gorgeous architecture. We have been featured in a number of “best” lists and are delighted by the gasp of joy that often accompanies walking in. To that space, we have added locally crafted shelves and tables, a highly curated selection, and a brilliant and accomplished staff.

The bookselling industry is like no other. We are a collaborative and supportive universe. I am also part of the board for the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. There I am able to help other people get their dreams off the ground and learn as much as (and often more than) I share.

I talk a lot about the impact of books, and being part of that. It means a great deal to me to know that customers come to discover in our space, and rely upon myself, my business partner, and my staff to guide them to what they want and need.

I also make time to read myself. I am a quick reader with a wide range of interests. This helps me provide the best products to my customers, with a broad understanding of what is offered within the pages. I am also currently on the panel reading for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Literary Fiction and Non-Fiction. I believe by the end of this year, we will have read 200-300 titles, and investigated many more.

I am proud of the shop and space we have created. I am proud of the customers and the trust they give me. I am proud of the professional and personal recognition I have received. More than that, I am proud of what my efforts foster in our community and beyond. People visit us from near and far, because it is more than just a store. Bookselling is never just retail and business.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Alex George and I met through the local literary community a few times. I had interviewed and written articles about Alex for both his successful and brilliant novels, as well as the Unbound Book Festival, which he founded. Through the festival, he realized the community need for another bookshop in town and in his search for a partner, learned I had experience in the field.

This created a perfect storm of knowledge and spirit and we quickly set off on our adventure. We decided to travel, by car, for several hours, no seriously, several hours, to an industry conference to make our final decision on if we were pursuing this dream. We did not yet know one another very well, but very quickly did. At our first rest stop, we had already each planned on touching base with our spouses. They each were entirely supportive, but wondered “what if you don’t actually get along?!” Within that first stretch we had laughed, cried, and told a million life stories. Our friendship was sealed, our mutal respect was sealed, and it was clear that if we wanted to do this thing, we could.

At some point, I opened a bag of Dove Chocolates. The wrappers are now framed in the shop. With the phrases “Actually go to a bookstore,” and “What are you waiting for?,” our fate was pretty sealed.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

When we opened, we swore we would never create an online shop. The magic, we believed, was IN the shop. When COVID hit, we discovered our magic was larger. We quickly began an online shop, utilizing Indie Commerce services from the American Booksellers Association to ensure our handling of the platform.

It was necessary at that time to adapt and this one just one of the many adaptations we engaged in to keep the shop from being one of the many that didn’t make it through. The only reason our adaptations worked, is because of the community that supported us.

What we discovered was that people had moved away, and missed us. People had heard about us and wanted to participate in our bookish universe. People needed this service from us and we were thrilled to provide it.

Our online portion of our business is never going to overtake what happens in the shop, but it instantly became an integral part of our offerings. We learned ways to carry our energy and knowledge onto the new platform and still be us. That is perhaps the most valuable service we offer, being us, and we continue to learn new ways to adapt our platform and communications so that we are reaching through the screens to our customers in multiple ways. We have lists of recommendations, blogs, online events, and much much more.

It takes effort, and time that we don’t always have. And that is the hard part. That said, my business partner is relocating out of state. Having this platform has made it clear that we can continue our partnership and he can continue to be a huge part of the Skylark experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skylarkbookshop.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skylarkbookshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skylarkbookshop
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClNWnbz98GLsqpMLgfJS0jw

Image Credits

Anastasia Pottinger