IT’S BEEN A LONG TRIP BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM (ALMOST)

Dear Friends of Avol’s:

I’ve decided not to move the store to a different location. At least, not voluntarily. I’ve told our landlord that I would like to keep the store here for at least another four years. I’ve offered to stay for at least four one-year terms and to give one year's notice if I do decide to move sometime in the future. For his part, the landlord has agreed to give us six months', rather than four months' notice in the event we have to leave. The new agreement could be renewed for as long as the building remains unsold. Therein lies the rub. Although it will not be “aggressively” marketed, the property will continue to be offered for rent or for sale.

So, you might ask, what made me decide to stay? In part, it was you: you and all the visitors from out of town who pass through and rave about the store, the inventory, about how there is nothing like it where they come from. The outpouring of concern and support from so many quarters renewed my commitment to make this work. In the process, I was able to secure a small, private loan with favorable terms, which enabled me to pay down a few of the high-interest debts that had been adversely affecting our cash flow. We’ve reduced staff, slightly, through voluntary attrition. We’ve been offering store credit in lieu of cash more frequently for used books. When we’ve made cash purchases for books, we’ve been very selective. One large collection of automotive books purchased late last year has been selling extremely well online, which has helped improve what had been a steady decline in our internet sales.

Another huge consideration was the impact of moving away from State Street, and the effect that would have on the income we receive from walk-in business. As I write this it is a cold, dreary January evening. Sales have been about half of what they needed to be today, but if we were to move away from State Street, I’m convinced the situation would be much worse. We’re going to tough it out. We’re going to try and reduce a few more expenses. We’re going to look for inexpensive, but effective ways to further promote the store. Along those lines, we have plans to establish a Facebook account for Avol’s, and we are looking into the startup of our own retail web site, which would allow customers to browse a portion of our inventory and make purchases directly from us online.

As I told a newspaper reporter recently, I’m putting the future of the store into the hands of Fate. I hope she’s a book lover.

Ron Czerwien
Owner
Avol’s Bookstore