Congratulations to Talk Story Bookstore, Hanapepe, Hawaii, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month and "continues to go strong," according to the Garden Island, which checked in recently with co-owner Ed Justus for a q&a session "to see how he and wife Yuriko keep the customers flowing through their doors." Among our favorite responses:
What's your key to success?
Our customers. When Talk Story was first opened, I read an old book about success called Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell. It had a great point that always stuck with me: "If customers ask for something, and you don't have it, start selling it!" The things that customers ask for over the years has helped widen the range of books we carry that are of interest to people, and because of that diverse array of subjects and titles, that may be one of the reasons why we are still in business today. The other reason I say it is our customers is because they are the ones who keep coming back to buy at our store, both residents and visitors alike. We are grateful every day for them, because they are the ones who make this store possible to be here and continue to provide for their needs. And many friends and customers over the years have been kind and helpful to us all along the way in making Talk Story Bookstore what it is today.
Do you and your wife Yuriko divide duties? What are your strengths as a team?
We are a team! What could be better than working everyday with your best friend and the love of your life at the same time? We have fun together. While I am handling the sales floor, Yuriko always has creative ideas with display, marketing, merchandise, social media, branding, anything. All the Talk Story merchandise she created has become popular sellers, too. On top of that, she is fantastic at data analysis, and I am very lucky to have her 13 years of experience as a model cost controller at Panasonic Manufacturing UK Finance Department! She and I are such a natural team; it is just always fun coming up with ideas, being creative together. We laugh a lot. Never knew what getting along was really like before! I am always very proud of her.
What's the best part of owning and operating your bookstore?
Again, the customers. 99% of the people who come in are really, really happy with what they buy. It is amazing to be in a business that everyday brings people so much happiness. And the other cool thing is the product; it's always interesting and different. Being in the bookstore is like having a continuing education; because of the nature of the product, we get to learn a little bit about everything.