Steve McDonald, the owner of the new Lake City Books in Plattsburgh, N.Y., spent most of his high school and college years working in his mother's independent bookstore. In the mid 1990s, his mother sold the store; it went out of business within two years.
"I wasn't in a position at that time to buy the store," explained McDonald, who has thought of opening a bookstore for many years. "I was kind of kicking myself because I couldn't take over the store for her. It was pretty sad to see it close."
Since then, he worked in marketing for several Fortune 500 companies. Around two and a half years ago, McDonald was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery, treatment and a lengthy recovery process made him leave work. About eight months ago, McDonald said, his doctors gave him the "all clear," and he began to think once more about his future.
"I was 53 years old, with a two-year gap in my work history," said McDonald. "I realized that trying to enter a weak market at this time wasn't going to happen. I've always wanted to open a store, and my wife and I, we're at a point in life now where it's possible. I've been thinking about it for quite some time, so we said, let's give it a go."
McDonald opened Lake City Books in the last week of November. It is 1,200 square feet, with a small cafe that sells coffee, hot chocolate, scones and other baked goods, and offers free wi-fi. According to McDonald, approximately 90% of the store's 20,000 volumes are used. The new titles consist mostly of children's books, some new hardcovers and books by local authors or about local interests. He was able to build up a sizable inventory of used books in a relatively short amount of time; the bulk of his collection (along with most of his shelves and other fixtures) comes from a bookstore in Hartford, Conn., that closed at the beginning of the summer.
"I purchased everything in early June," recounted McDonald. "And I didn't have a store yet. So I put it all in storage while I kept on looking for the right spot. For about four months or so, I perused for the perfect bookstore. It all comes down to a combination of location, size and cost; I could never find three out of three, just two out of three."
The spot McDonald presently occupies became available about six weeks ago. It's a bit smaller than what he envisioned (he estimates that 1,600-1,800 square feet would be ideal); he still has boxes of books in storage, and ideally he'd like to expand the cafe. At the moment, it's a one-man operation.
The first few weeks have been hectic, and McDonald hasn't been able to host any events. He plans to do a sort of open house on January 4, with free coffee and donuts in the cafe, to celebrate the opening. Further down the road, he'd like to bring in local authors for book signings, readings and workshops.
The community's response, McDonald said, has been fantastic: "They probably think I'm a little crazy for opening a bookstore, but they're so happy to finally have another one." --Alex Mutter
