Congratulations to Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, Wis., which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. "The pundits said there would be no bookstores--or even books!--by 2014," owner Daniel Goldin told the Shepherd Express, which reported that nevertheless he "managed to convince his lenders and his landlord that his was a good business strategy: make Boswell a destination for events, including readings by local and traveling authors, and participants will return to the store to shop. Next step: develop a deeper selection than even the biggest big box store, composed of back catalog titles and academic press publications for an inventory that goes well beyond any bestseller list."
Noting that staff has been a crucial factor in the bookstore's success, the Shepherd Express wrote that three employees have been with Goldin from the beginning--Jason Kennedy, Conrad Silverberg and Amie Mechler-Hickson. All, like Goldin, were also veterans of the former Harry W. Schwartz bookshops. Anne McMahon worked at the now-defunct Book Nook chain.
"What keeps us going is the relationship we have with our customers," Goldin said. "Really, there's no reason to buy anything from us. Even most of our greeting cards are available online.... Bookselling has always been a niche. We'll be around as long as people want us."