We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rebecca Binkowski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rebecca below.
Rebecca, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
Making sure that my customers feel seen, heard and appreciated is a BIG part of my business. I always say that what worked in 1960 still works today. Engage and listen. Wrap presents. Help carry the bags to the car. Remember who someone is buying for and what they like is not difficult or costly. It’s a bit of your time and attention, but it brings people back, time and again. We live in a time where people are starved for human contact and taking the time to ask a few questions (typically, how are you? read anything terrific lately?) goes along way.
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
I’d been a lifelong reader and full-time bookseller when the opportunity to purchase MacIntosh came along in 2017. I’d been living in Sanibel Island for over a decade and felt called to lead this charming business, founded in 1960, into its next chapter. What sets MacIntosh apart is its commitment to the community, coupled with old-fashioned customer service. Every item in the shop is hand-selected with purpose. We don’t have every book, but we feature the best books for our customer base. We read and curate constantly. Coming into our shop is a step back to a simpler time. We’re deliberately unhurried and we take time to chat. It’s part of the MacIntosh experience to gain a little knowledge of the local lore and where the best shelling is this time of year.
I’m most proud of the fact that we have survived over 6 decades on the tiny, touristy island of Sanibel. Not a day goes by that I don’t get a call from a customer thanking me for a book recommendation. In a world thats all about scale and keeping business, business, I’m proud that for us it’s personal. Personal can pay the bills, too!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Currently, we’re rebuilding from the devastation of Hurricane Ian. I think every business owner finds themselves at a crossroads at least once. You have to dig deep and ask the big question, can we afford to continue if the rebuild takes 6 months or a year? or maybe two? Do I love this enough to struggle a bit? or a lot?
For me, the answer was always yes. You have to keep reinventing your business to stay relevant. I start by asking what my community needs from me and then tie it back to our mission in someway. I’ll consider selling or offering classes in anything that can be tied back to a quality book. I take risks and I’m not afraid to pivot and try something new. I’m also not afraid to drop something that isn’t moving the needle forward.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The pandemic was a great example of pivoting early to save my business. In a matter of days, we shuttered and turned our shop into a shipping station. I took to social media and utilized apps like Crowdcast to build community and share goods and stories with my customers. We were able to stay afloat by finding new ways to engage our base. Nothing was off the table. We delivered, we offered curbside pick-up and we simply lent an ear if someone just needed to talk. You start, again, with a basic question. What do my customers need? How can we connect in safe and interesting ways? The focus was connection, but the dollars followed.
Contact Info:
- Website: macintoshbooks.com
- Instagram: @macintoshbooks
- Facebook: @macintoshbooks
- Twitter: @macintoshbooks1
Image Credits
Photo Credit Taryn Manning