This month marks the one-year anniversary of The Book Catapult, a family-owned bookstore in South Park. And co-owners Seth Marko and Jennifer Powell couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t believe we\u2019re able to do this \u2014 it\u2019s still very much a dream come true,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n
The couple took over the space from local bookstore owner Anne Mery in 2017. Mery previously ran The West Grove Collective for many years and \u201cwas ready to move on and do something else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe lived in the neighborhood and shopped in her store, so she knew we were always interested [in buying],\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n When the beloved Adams Avenue Book Store in Normal Heights closed on July 15 after 53 years of business, the future of other local shops seemed grim.<\/p>\n Although Adams Avenue Book Store owner Brian Lucas couldn\u2019t pinpoint one reason for the closure of his Uptown business, he did cite his five-decade-old store\u2019s struggle to acclimate to the changing book culture as a possible contributor. These changes include a shift to online buying, with the introduction of big businesses like Amazon, as well as a need to host in-store events.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, these industry changes may have actually helped The Book Catapult, and other newer stores, succeed in the market. With a 2017 opening, they \u201calready knew what the landscape was\u201d and didn\u2019t have to adapt to a different scene.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the timing is a little interesting for us,\u201d Marko said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing being taken away because everything for us is building [up]. We\u2019re already in this environment, so anything that comes through our doors has already been a conscious decision to make that purchase in our store.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the fact that we\u2019ve opened when we have, like we\u2019re sort of new, and we opened when this was all going on,\u201d Powell added. \u201cIt\u2019s not like anything was taking over our business.\u201d<\/p>\n Before opening a storefront, The Book Catapult actually started as an internet blog. They still have an online presence \u2014 as a way to keep their physical doors open 24-7 \u2014 that they hope to build on, but the majority of their sales continue to come from in-store customers.<\/p>\n \u201cAmazon is already leading the charge, so when people come into our store, they are making a conscious effort to shop in our store,\u201d Powell said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like we\u2019re crazy to open a bookstore in 2017, but what the community has proven to us is that they do prefer to shop that way,\u201d Marko added.<\/p>\n Instead of having to edit their existing inventory to fit their audience, they were able to curate a selection around the new trends. Marko noted that the majority of customers in the South Park store are parents and children, reflecting the family-centric feel of the neighborhood. From the beginning, the store carried a majority of fiction and kids\u2019 picture books \u2014 and these titles have proved to be their best-sellers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a family who lives in the neighborhood so we kind of understood the demographics around us because we were part of it,\u201d Marko said.<\/p>\n Lucas noted that many local stores have embraced events \u2014 such as poetry readings, open mics and concerts \u2014 which can encourage people to get off their computers and stop by the physical location. Adams Avenue Book Store held a few of these, but he said that approach didn\u2019t quite align with the focus and layout of his store.<\/p>\n In contrast, The Book Catapult\u2019s timing allowed it to incorporate these types of events. One of their signature happenings is Coffee with the Catapult, an informal chat about books with the staff over coffee supplied by neighbor Communal Coffee. They also host regular author discussions and signings; launched a book club three months ago; and held an anniversary party with cocktails on Oct. 13. Each event usually draws between 20\u201340 people.<\/p>\n \u201cThe author event [is something] that independent [bookstores] have really latched onto, because you don\u2019t get that on Amazon \u2014 there\u2019s no way to have that same kind of interaction,\u201d Marko said. \u201cSo people really appreciate that, and they love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Their family-owned store might be \u201coverwhelmingly busy and positive,\u201d but that doesn\u2019t mean the shuttering of other small businesses isn\u2019t still an obstacle. Across the street, Rebecca\u2019s Coffee House \u2014 who called the neighborhood home for more than 20 years \u2014 closed back in January.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long time to have nothing else anchoring that side of the street,\u201d Marko said. \u201c[But] we have high hopes it will help foot traffic when we have a brand-new sidewalk and two new restaurants across the street.\u201d<\/p>\n That sidewalk, which lines the entry to their store, was torn up by the city last week and caused an unexpected store closure. Marko and Powell apologetically informed customers with daily email updates. Yet they received understanding and encouraging responses from patrons, reflecting the store\u2019s overall reception from the neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love South Park, that was one of the reasons we were excited to take over the store, because we knew that the community would be [\u2026] supportive, and we thought it was just the right type of community,\u201d Powell said, noting that they did not experience the same type of community feel in previous neighborhoods they lived in, such as Mission Hills or Normal Heights.<\/p>\n Although older bookstores might be at risk of fading away, a successful formula for new shops to stay afloat may include selling online, hosting events and choosing the right neighborhoods to build in. In fact, newbie Run For Cover just opened in Ocean Beach on Oct. 5.<\/p>\n And in the typical \u201ccollaborative rather than competitive\u201d attitude that is commonly self-reported in the industry, these additions aren\u2019t resented. Former owners such as Lucas, who may miss the old book culture, are still supportive of these up-and-comers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are stores that are still starting. I\u2019m excited and encouraged that people are still deciding to do that venture \u2014 more power to them,\u201d Lucas said, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re obviously positive [about the local book scene] \u2014 we think that it\u2019s going to be good for the future,\u201d Powell said. \u201cWe\u2019re probably not going to retire millionaires, but we\u2019re OK with that. I think we\u2019ll all be able to hold on and thrive in sort of our little ways, in our little communities.\u201d<\/p>\n For previous San Diego Uptown News coverage on The Book Catapult, visit bit.ly\/catapult-opens<\/a>.<\/p>\n [Editor\u2019s note: Brian Lucas, owner of the Adams Avenue Book Store, shared his thoughts about the future of the book industry when he spoke with San Diego Uptown News in June 2018. Read the full story at bit.ly\/final-chapter<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/cover-photo.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kids-section.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/store.jpg\")