Up Close: Books & Crannies Co-Owner Genie Ford

By Ryan Lytle

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Genie Ford, of Middleburg, is the co-owner and co-founder of Books & Crannies in Middleburg.

The married mother of one also runs another business away from the bookstore, which doesn't leave her much free time.

Ford spent some of her scarce free time to sit down with LoudounExtra.com to discuss the joys and hardships of owning an independent bookstore, her thoughts on electronic books and the notable differences between independent bookstores and bookstore chains.

Q: How long has Books & Crannies been a part of Middleburg, and where did the idea to start this book store come from?

A: In December of 2004, I partnered with Pat Daly to open Books & Crannies. I had been a reader my entire life. I was the youngest of six and they had all learned to read before me and I couldn't stand it. I couldn't wait to read. I started reading when I was around five or six, so books have always been a big part of my life. I love the written word. I had wanted a book store forever. A few years ago, I was moaning and bemoaning the state of the world and I just thought, 'Maybe I'll just chuck it all and start my bookstore.' We looked into it, and I had originally thought of opening it in Leesburg. But I knew at the rate that Leesburg was growing, there would eventually be a big bookstore. I also learned, through my research, that independent bookstores do best in rural areas. I had always loved Middleburg and I knew some people here and talked to them about it. It just seemed like the right place. So we decided on Middleburg and, from start to finish, we opened our store in six to eight weeks. We opened our store during the first week of December, during the "Christmas in Middleburg" celebration. We opened on the busiest day of the year and it was painful, but we had a good day.

Q: What is your other job besides being a co-owner of Books & Crannies? How do you divide your time between these two responsibilities?

A: The other business I've had for over 25 years. I do newsletters, videos, speeches and all kinds of things like that for clients. It's called Print Management, Inc. My business is very demanding. I travel a lot and it can be very stressful. Sometimes, finding time for the book store can be very hard, so it's frustrating because I'd rather be there.

Q: What separates Books & Crannies from other independent book stores?

A: It's a challenge every day. We just try to provide the best customer service we can. From special orders to gift wrapping to deliveries. Really, whatever we can do to make it a great experience. You have to be willing to travel to other places to spread your business. If you just stand around in your store and wait for customers, you're going to starve. That's just what you have to do. You have to think of every possible way to sell a book, and whatever it takes is what you have to do.

Q: What is your favorite part about running the book store?

A: Well, there's two things I love most about running a book store. One is meeting the authors and getting to know them. Writing is a lonely job. These authors are stuck in their houses and are sometimes just working on these pieces by themselves. And, once they've come out to promote their work I love to welcome them and let them talk about their books. The other thing that I love about it is having someone come in and talk about books and their lives, and introduce them to books or authors that they've never read. I love to tell people, 'Read this and tell me what you think,' and a lot of the time they do. I just love talking about books. I could talk about them all day.

Q: How are you able to make a judgment on what book someone will like?

A: Because I read so much, and I read everything. I can tell by what people say that they will like a certain kind of book.

Q: What can an independent bookstore offer that a place like Border's can't?

A: If you go to Border's, chances are most of the people in there are clerks. They are just making their hourly rates and going about their day. That's not saying that all places are like that but I think it's true for the most part. And that's the difference between independent book stores and the big book stores. We actually care and we want to interact. We want to match a reader with a book they will enjoy. It's not just to make a sale.

Q: How has the community embraced the book store?

A: They've been wonderful. We have our loyal, steadfast customers that come in and buy their books here. Middleburg, for the Loudoun area, is big for tourism. We ultimately serve two groups: the locals and the tourists. The locals are a core group of people that show up to all our events and we see them two or three times a week. But we also have to meet the needs of the tourists. Tourists are our bread and butter. There are not enough local people to serve the business needs of the book store so we have to provide for tourists. We knew going in we would have to serve both sides.

Q: Books & Crannies hosts a variety of community events. Tell me why it's vital to be more than just a store, but a fixture in the community.

A:You can't survive on being a store only. No independent book store can survive like that. There have to be author signings or poetry slams and other events to try to bring people into the book store. I think that, as time goes on, it's going to be incumbent on us to be more creative about events. Those things we do to build relationships with the community are very important.

Q: In the "About Us" section of the Books & Crannies Web site, it says that books are "carefully selected by the staff" to showcase. How do you go about selecting the books that will be sold in the store?

A: There are a lot of books published every year and we get advanced copies of a lot of books, so we read them. We know the authors that are going to sell. Every book we order for the store, we thought about who would like that book and the audience for that book. We're not a Barnes & Noble; we can't have every book in print on our shelf, so we are thoughtful and careful. We try to mix in the literary quality as well as the marketable books. After this amount of time, we know what book by what author our locals are going to like.

Q: Your book store has grown a great relationship with local authors. Why are those relationships important to you?

A: Those are the relationships that allow the store to have an identity with the local community. The local authors are important because their books are good and they sell. We are lucky because our local authors know the importance of having an independent book store that can sell their books. They appreciate that and they know that it's the independents that are going to put them on the map. They appreciate that we are recommending their books.

Q: With the recent economic problems and the growth of large book store chains, how must independent book stores change and adapt to survive?

A: It's really a tough time. I don't ever remember it being this bad. A town like Middleburg has always been insulated a bit, but we are starting to feel the effects of the economy. We've had to really get as lean with our staff as we can. We don't buy as many copies of books anymore. You order less, more often. It's frustrating because we can't take as many chances on books as we could in the past. At the same time we are trying to do more things as well. For example, we are trying to beef up our Web site. We just need to be more creative about how we do things. We just need to do more events, and I don't know what those things will be yet, but we will have to start doing that. I think that's pretty much what every retailer is doing these days. We really have to fight to stay alive and, periodically, I will tell my customers 'We need you. We need you to buy more books.' And they do. We're doing our best to get through the storm and make it to the holidays.

Q: What is your overall opinion on electronic books?

A: Hate them, hate them, hate them. I personally reject the idea that we are going to become a society that the only time we're animated is by the light of the computer screen or the light of the Kindle. I just reject that idea. I use a computer all day long and I know how your eyes feel by the end of the day; they're tired. I don't think when you're reading something off a screen you're as engaged as you are when you can turn the pages. I think it's going to have an impact if we continue this way and I don't know how to stop it. You're going to lose that connection between an author and the reader without that physical presence. All of that will be lost.

Q: When you're not working, what do you enjoy doing in Loudoun?

A: The things that are so amazing to me about Loudoun: the history, the wineries, the food, the countryside, all of that. It's just a treat to drive around the county and look at it because it's so spectacular. You could just do something every day of the year and never leave Loudoun. I think the wineries are one of our greatest treasures. I like Chrysalis because the people are just interesting. It's very beautiful there. I also like Tarara, of course, because those people are wonderful. They are a treasure in itself.

Q: Are there any recent books written by a local author you would recommend reading?

A: Oh my goodness, yes. For nonfiction, Marc Leepson wrote Saving Monticello. It's a very interesting story. As far as fiction goes, Ellen Crosby's book, The Merlot Murders, is just fun. Her books are wonderful. There are still a lot of authors we don't know about out there and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Tagged: Books and Crannies, Middleburg, Up Close

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