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

Melanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I was a teacher for 25 years and when I retired, I thought it was a good time to pursue my dream of opening a bookstore. That was in 2017. I planned on a brick and mortar and began my research. I talked with booksellers and owners throughout the country and took a week-long class in Florida through Paz & Associates learning everything I needed to do to open a bookstore. By the spring of 2018, I was ready to look for a space. The night before I was to sign a lease I woke up in the middle of the night and knew it wasn’t right. I had just become an empty nester and I wanted to have the flexibility to travel along on my husband’s business trips. I also wasn’t feeling comfortable about the high start-up costs and pressure of the rent/overhead. I decided to put my dream on hold. Shortly after that, I finished reading Parnassus on Wheels, a book by Christopher Morley that was published in 1915 about a traveling, mobile bookstore. I was sitting at my kitchen table, looked out and saw my husband’s 1962 VW transporter parked in the driveway and said “that’s it!” . In that moment everything clicked into place in my mind. I yelled to my husband, “honey, can I steal your truck?” And The Book Bus was born! The teacher side of me wasn’t done yet and I have a passion for fueling children’s literacy. I know teachers spend a lot of their own money and many schools don’t have libraries anymore, so I decided to take 100% of my profits and buy new children’s books to help build classroom libraries, get books into kids’ homes and support local organizations.

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 Book Bus is a bookstore on wheels. I travel around the city popping up at coffee shops, boutiques, and markets to sell new books off the back of my 1962 VW transporter truck. Since space is limited on the truck, I have to be very conscience and particular of what I stock choosing quality over quantity. I sell mostly adult fiction, but I stock some memoirs and children’s books as well. Some of the most popular books that I offer are special editions of classics and books that are not available locally that I have brought in from the UK. As far as I know, I am the only US bookstore that carries Persephone Books of London. This has always been my niche and when customers are looking for a gift or special edition, they know where to come. I started the Book Bus Book Club in January 2020 and this has become a very popular part of my business. I started with 40 members and today I have 120-140 members a month. I’ve been able to schedule popular authors to zoom with us and that has been a highlight. During the pandemic, the book club gave people a way to stay connected and there’s nothing like book mail to brighten your day.

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

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make a business owner pivot and have to think outside to box. City lockdowns could have easily shut this mobile business down. Pre-covid I relied on public events and pop-ups for sales. Because of lockdowns and not being able to sell publicly, I shifted my business to online sales. Luckily, right before all this hit I had updated my website to offer online book sales. I also started selling more books through social media specifically Instagram and Facebook. My business shifted from a used bookstore to only selling new books because I wasn’t able to source or sell used books during the pandemic. While all these shifts were a challenge, they helped to mold and develop my business into what it is today. I am once again doing pop-up events around the city but I continue to drive online sales as well.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to move! It’s so easy to get caught up in the planning stage and research but there comes a point when you just have to go for it. I never could have predicted or planned for a pandemic. You can never plan for every obstacle that will come your way, so at some point, you just have to do it. A small business owner needs to be creative and flexible. If I have an idea, I try it out. If it doesn’t work, I adjust and try again. Don’t get stuck in the “what ifs” just move!

Contact Info:

• Website: cincybookbus.com
• Instagram: @cincybookbus
• Facebook: Cincy Book Bus