Dear Readers,
Truly from Booksweet here. Today I’m writing with some bittersweet news: Booksweet is for sale. Shaun and I are so proud of how our readers and community partners have helped us to grow the shop’s reader base, revenue, and community impact over the past three years. It has sincerely been the honor and privilege of a lifetime.
As many of you have likely experienced at some point in your lives, sometimes the needs of your family evolve in ways that don’t quite fit your career–even if it’s a dream job like caring for the coolest little bookshop on earth. That’s the case with us and Booksweet. We love the shop deeply and we love our family even more. In fact, we love it all so much that we know when it’s time to pass the torch.
This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. Booksweet is so much more than a shop. It’s a values-driven community space committed to nurturing equity and co-liberation. It’s an incubator for new ideas, creativity, and community actions. It’s an affirming space where love is a verb and a powerful call-to-action. It’s a place to imagine new realities together–and write them into existence. It’s a place where belonging matters. Booksweet brings people together–and together, we can co-create good change. And we’ve done so much together, readers. You are incredible.
In addition to all the good vibes, Booksweet is a thriving indie bookshop built for long-term success. Booksweet is/has:
- A thriving 2,400 square foot retail space steps away from U-M’s north campus
- A five-star Google Reviews rating
- Powered by a coveted, state-of-the-art inventory management/customer relationship management software (BookManager)
- A powerful e-commerce platform with shipping worldwide and pre-order campaign capacities
- Thousands of active and loyal customers locally and nationwide
- A roster of amazing bulk-order clients (we are an approved U-M and AAPS vendor)
- A full calendar of incredible offsite sales opportunities (with mobile “pop-up shop” infrastructure).
- Recognized by our memorable and beloved branding (including the iconic “Booksweet Bookdiver,” with limitless attractive retail and merchandising applications)
- Great relationships with publishers and publishing reps – and in excellent standing on all accounts.
- Engaged social media communities on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok
- Affiliate partnerships with Libro.fm and Bookshop.org.
- Distinctive in our curation, as our book buyer (that’s co-owner Shaun!) is in the shop daily getting to know
- Booksweet readers and their preferences first-hand. Current inventory boasts 9,000+ hand-selected titles.
- Humbled and honored to hold meaningful and deep relationships with local authors and community partners
We’re mentioning all of this because we’re hoping to find a buyer who is interested in a turnkey or full asset purchase of the shop to keep Booksweet alive and well for generations to come. We’re eager to provide full training, introductions, and comprehensive transition support. As with everything we do, we are committed to transparency and accessibility. To support this ethos, we have attractive and highly competitive financing options to help build in-roads for you if this is your dream. This is a really incredible opportunity for a skilled co-op and/or individual owners who have the time/flexibility to bring the shop into its next era. The shop is so ready for you. The community is so ready for you. It’s your time to shine–and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
If you’re interested in taking Booksweet into its next era as shop owner, please get in touch by email: shaun@shopbooksweet.com. We’ll find a good time to go over what we’re offering in detail to see if it’s the right fit for you. Email inquiries are preferred; NDAs are part of the initial meeting process.
While we work to bring Booksweet into its next iteration, a few things will change but many will stay the same. Here’s what to expect:
- New Hours! We’re excited to serve you Tuesday to Saturday, noon-8 pm, and Sunday noon-6
- Events! You know we love ‘em. We’ve got a great line-up for May and June, including offsite events with A2SF in the KidZone tent and an incredible community action event with Justice InDeed. Please come out and join us! On event nights, we’ll be open late and having a blast with you.
We’ve always believed that when you show up for your community, they show up for you. Booksweet is a great example of that idea in action. We can’t thank you enough for all the support you’ve given us as we nurtured Booksweet into being. And we’re hoping that you’ll continue to support the shop, our family, and each other as we lean into the next chapter together.
Sincerely–and with all the love and gratitude in our bookish hearts,
Truly + Shaun
