In Episode 38, we chat with Rebecca George about the nuts and bolts of owning and running an independent bookstore, particularly during 2020.
Rebecca George is the co-owner of Volumes Bookcafe and Volumes Bookstore in Chicago, IL. A former educator and writer, she now spends her time slinging books, reading books, talking about books, sleeping with books, and everything else with books.
You can find Volumes Books at volumesbooks.com and @volumesbooks on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Texts, People, and Booksellers Mentioned in the Episode
Some links may be affiliate links, which at no additional cost to you help to fund The Writing Remix. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
- Astoria Bookshop (Astoria, NY)
- Red Letter Books (Boulder, CO)
- Boulder Bookstore (Boulder, CO)
- Trident (Boulder, CO)
- Myopic Books (Chicago, IL)
- Quimby’s (Chicago, IL)
- Episode 29: (Im)Perfecting the Novel with Amy Meyerson and Natalie Hallak
- Park Row Books
- Ghosts in the Schoolyard by Eve L. Ewing
- American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz
“As teachers…you’re selling the value of books and of words and getting people to write so that they take value in what words they’re creating as well.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“I’ve been just really working on local people that I love, if they’ve got a book coming out, something I feel like I think I can champion.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“We’ve gone from having three hold shelves to 11.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“You can tell people are reading more…They’re exhausted with computer screens…I think everyone wants to get out of where they are right now, and books are the one thing that can transport them there, effectively.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“I think the cool thing about indie bookstores is they’re a direct reflection of the community they’re in.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“80% of your sales are in 20% of your books.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“The L lines were designed around dead people.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“If nothing else and we lose our business…I’m proud of that, of those relationships that we’ve created with people, that we’ve helped people.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“It seems like people…this year are really trusting in small business…What do they want their neighborhood to look like? What’s important to them to stay in their community after all this?” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
“I think that the one thing that people coming out of MFAs [need to realize] is that not everyone becomes a writer, and I think that the best thing you can do is find ways to champion other people’s writing.” -Rebecca George @volumesbooks
Tweet
This episode was recorded on December 7. Because we recorded via Zoom, there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher and follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod.
Writing Remix Podcast 