Bookseller Benjamin Rybeck, formerly of Brazos Bookstore in Houston, Tex., and the Center for Fiction Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., has become the general manager at House of Books in Kent, Conn.
The bookstore, which first opened in the 1970s and was purchased by a new ownership group last summer, currently resides in a smaller, temporary space while its larger, original home is being renovated. Once the renovations are done and House of Books can move back in, the bookstore will have about 2,000 square feet of selling space, along with an area for events and a gallery on the second floor.
Currently, the bookstore's inventory is all new books, and a small selection of sidelines like greeting cards, journals and writing implements. Rybeck added that once the move is complete, he plans to expand the store's inventory of both books and non-book items, and he's already done some buying in preparation for that.
"The original plan was to be in the renovated space this summer," said Rybeck, who officially took over as general manager on April 1. "Of course, it's very difficult to know whether or not that will happen now."
.jpg) |
|
|
Ben Rybeck |
|
While some aspects of the renovation work have been affected by the pandemic, Rybeck said, others can continue. He's still doing some design work, such as thinking about the layout and how the store will flow. There is also a great deal of digital work to be done. In addition to redesigning the House of Books website, all of the store's digital assets are being redone, including the newsletter. Prior to the pandemic, Rybeck explained, those were things that he would have liked to do anyway but were not so pressing. Now, though, they are immediate priorities.
"It's especially important to fast track them, now that we're in the situation we're in," Rybeck continued. "There's a lot of building to do. I would have much rather been doing this building when there wasn't an emergency happening and when there was a physical store open, but we've still got a lot of work to do."
Until just recently, House of Books did not have much of a webstore. That became an immediate necessity when the bookstore partnered with art critic Jerry Saltz for a "socially-distanced book signing." When a customer orders a copy of his book How to Be an Artist, Rybeck and the House of Books team ship sanitized copies to Saltz, who signs and personalizes the books while wearing gloves before sending the books back. From there, books are shipped from the safety of the team's homes. So far, House of Books has sold nearly 1,000 copies of the book.
Once the webstore was up and running, Rybeck added, he felt compelled to fast track the site redesign. He said: "One thing has just been leading to another."
Despite becoming the new general manager only recently, Rybeck has been involved with House of Books since the new owners were planning to take over. He was put in touch with the ownership group by a mutual friend from his time at Brazos, and began working with them on a consulting basis. He helped with the ownership transition and started doing frontlist buying for the store.
"The deeper I got into it, the more I had trouble walking away," said Rybeck. "I feel like this is less of a new thing than a continuation of my efforts."
Looking ahead, Rybeck said he feels optimistic about the future of bookselling, despite the large toll the pandemic has had on the industry.
"I think it will survive. Bookstores are well-positioned ultimately to rebound from crisis. We've done it before," he said. "People truly love our spaces and, when all of this is said and done, people will still need to find connection. During this, people still need to find connection." --Alex Mutter