"Anyone who has loved more than one book has thought, 'Boy, I would like to run a bookstore,' " said Chris Steib, owner of Transom Bookshop in Tarrytown, N.Y., which opened its doors for the first time on October 22.
The 525-square-foot bookstore sells predominantly fiction, with the entire eastern wall of the store devoted to it. There are strong sci-fi and fantasy sections as well; Steib explained that fiction and literature are his background. For the store's poetry and nonfiction sections, Steib turned to outside help, working with the editor of a poetry magazine to curate that section, and he selected books about self-care and health with the help of a licensed clinical social worker.
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Asked about children's books, Steib noted that his store is across the street from a toy store, and he's working with that store's owner to make sure their inventories don't overlap. To that end he carries middle grade and YA books, while leaving picture books and early reader titles to his neighbor. In addition to books, Steib carries some custom store-branded products like stickers and other "nerdy things for book lovers" from suppliers like Out of Print.
With Tarrytown next door to Sleepy Hollow, Halloween is an exceptionally busy time of the year. Steib noted that the town is full of tourists and the store's first week was so busy he "couldn't take a breath." As such Steib has yet to host any events, and likely won't until after Halloween and the holiday shopping season are behind him. There are lots of photographers and writers in the Hudson Valley region, and he'd like to get them involved in future event plans.
Steib moved to Tarrytown a few years ago and immediately "fell in love with the town," which he said has a "beautiful main street" and "wonderful community." He heard over and over again, however, that there was one thing missing: an independent bookstore. "I couldn't believe this place didn't have one."
Steib, who was a literature major in college, has had a lot of experience in the book world. He worked through college at a variety of stores, including independent bookstores and at Barnes & Noble, and later managed events for several B&N locations in New Jersey. He ran a literary magazine, through which he "made a lot of great writer friends and publishing contacts," and created the app Transom, which is a note-taking app designed for writers. For most of the last decade or so, he's been a consultant for start-ups.
He'd always wanted to open a store of his own, but it felt like a "someday kind of thing," contingent on retiring or getting rich or "something magical happening." That was until he talked to the owner of a shop on Tarrytown's main street. She discussed running her business, and that conversation "made it real" for Steib. Given the tourist traffic that Tarrytown gets, especially around Halloween, it "seemed like a thing that could happen." He found the perfect "tiny sliver of a shop," which used to be an antique shop complete with restoration workshop in the back, and decided he was going to take the plunge.
"I realized you didn't need to be a superhero," he remarked. "You just had to do it."
The Tarrytown community's response to his bookstore has been great, Steib reported, and the bookshop had a sizable following even before its doors opened. People frequently stop by the store to say congratulations, or approach Steib and his wife to say so at the park or the farmers market. Going forward, he plans to grow the store's inventory and plan events based on what customers want. He added: "It's been very positive and very validating." --Alex Mutter