Back to Work...and an ethical question...

North Carolina (Winston-Salem, to be exact) was a peaceful trip, and things went smoothly business-wise...and now I return to the Brooklyn crawl....

I was walking down 34th street today and saw that a street vendor was selling Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War.  considering that I didn't even know that it had come out, I stopped to take a look...and ended up buying it for $5 cheaper than in a bookstore...was I cheating the business that I am creating? Was I being a shrewd NYer by finding a better deal, means be damned? was I supporting illegal bookselling?  Does it matter?  What is the impact?  and furthermore, what if the impact of my reading it is much greater?  Anyone who has read Robert Greene's books knows that there is a metaphorical aspect to the laws he writes about  - in the Art of Seduction, he could be talking about seducing someone sexually, intellectually, or creatively - as is the same with warfare, or more simply put, conflict.  Conflict will always exist, and the book, as it turns out, centers around strategizing within conflict to come out empowered....given the space I've just relegated to talking about the book realted to about the bookseller, which do you think has ultimately had the bigger impact on the world?

Possibilities, Possibilities...

I sat down and made progress creating a calendar for putting this whole thing together...as some of my friends may know, I recently embraced the magic of the Palm Pilot daily planner, which has enabled me to get about twice as much done as improvising.  So, along in the same vein, I've embraced the chi of iCal by assigning days for different tasks.  Given my predeliction for being overambitious with waht I want to get done at any given time, it has emerged as a great way to keep sane and be able to make progress and planning without becoming overwhelmed - especially in regards to discovering when and where you have free time to get things done.  As a result, I have planned out getting a smaller project done by the end of the second week in August by figuring out how long it will take to get each task done....so by the end of it, three dozen copies of my portfolio will have gone out to three dozen theatres, and at as minimal of an expense as possible.

In addition, it has also caused me to be watching much less TV, which is both a blessing and a curse...call it a silver lining with a cloud...

Back just to leave again...

Montauk was amazing, and just what I needed to recharge...and I got to spend the entire week with the missus...which leads me to:

Molly, my girlfriend - we've been together as long as I've had this project going, I love her dearly.  I would be happy to post her picture, but will refrain from doing so until I get her permission to do so.  be aware behind every bit of progress with this project, is her continued love and support.  I figured, though, that it was time to acknowledge her part in all of this.

I also leave at the end of the week to finish rehearsals for a re-mount of a show I designed in February - and I'll be back Monday...progress will be made this week, however, starting tomorrow morning.

Cheers.

Taking a week away...

For those interested, i am taking a week's vacation in Montauk with friends - a blessing, considering that my continued and constant efforts have given me a mild cold....go figure.  I will be on the internet during the week ( go wireless!!!) and will be creating paperwork progress, responding to e-mails, etc...but taking it physically easy...so, toodles!

And now a word from our 'hood...

For those who know, feel free to go get something from the fridge while I talk to the virgins....

Given that I've been talking about creating a bookstore in Astoria, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce you to Astorians, a forum website for the neighborhood, of which creating a bookstore is one of the topics.  In addition, you may be able to buy an AC unit from someone who's selling...better than craigslist, and closer by.  For those of you  much further away, here's this site.  Make sure to also check the links at the bottom of the page...And who knew that Christopher Walken was raised here?  

Feel free to stop by.  if you're willing to schlep to Brooklyn, you're willing to come to our 'hood...and we gots us a park with an olympic size swimming pool...beat that, Manhattan!

Visiting Pluto...and a big decision

I got the opportunity to visit Spoonbill and Sugartown, a new and used art booksotre in Williamsburg.  Considering how rarely I ever go there, it always feels like a foreign country, where everything is somehow...different...and you can't figure out what it is.

I also made the decision, after talking with a friend, to make the bookstore a for-profit venture, as the reasons why I was doing it were swinging much further in that direction.  It had previously been a hard decision to make, and I had been avoiding committing to it, but once it was clear why I was making the decision, it fell into place without effort.  In addition, I have the capability to create a seperate non-profit that could work alongside the bookstore and still acheive the mission - so in essense, i could have both.  thanks to Marc at Twenty Feet Productions.

Coming Events

So what's up next?

- A fundraiser...an event to create more awareness in the community, and to get the place going financially.  And, most likely, it will not be the only fundraiser.  I've already got some ideas as to what businesses to approach in the neighborhood about collaborating.

- looking at properties - what will have the square footage to support both a bookstore and cafe?  where is the most effective location?

- business plan (which I'm in the middle of) - getting it out there to the other business partner, which I've been procrastinating with - so I've scheduled it into Wednesday.

- assembling a team of people, and giving assignments

-  and most importantly, coming up with a name.  I've been using Good Reading Books, but think that there's a better name to use.  Feel free to make any suggestions.

Weekend Progress...

I got to sit down for 3 hours with Andy Laties this weekend, learning everything from Standard Operating Procedure to figuring out how to make a higher rent work for you rather than the other way around. Learned that it doesn't matter whether it's a profit or non-profit, and discovered that everything I know and am is an asset and strength to what I'm doing. I was originally worried that, as a designer, wanting a strong arts section could be difficult in this neighborhood - but considering that my strength lies in knowing what art books are of good quality can only assure that there will be a strong arts section that will attract people.

I also re-affirmed that my understanding of groundplans will be essential, and my perfectionist leanings can be an asset to the project, and that partnering up with other businesses can work greatly to my advantage. and lastly, how to establish a good relationship with a local bank.

In very related news, I discovered a new cafe in my neighborhood called Oleput - a step up in cool from Starbucks, serves great desserts and ice creams, and the best Cappuccino milkshake EVER. Plus the ambiance and design sensibility in there is great - may want to have them as part of the team in terms of creating the atmosphere of the store. Plus, they have wireless. and own the Sparrow too...

Keeping in communication....

Now I understand why companies are more than one person - and the futility of the "i can do this by myself" mentality...granted, doing something on your own is an accomplishment in and of itself that should be lauded - and to see if you can "fly solo" is both a test of strength and focus...but in order to have the support of a community, you need to invite others to play with you. Whether it be to allow yourslef to rest, to play people's strengths, to delegate work you don't want to others, to bring in new perspectives...so much more is possible when you really want to make a difference.

Next up: meeting this weekend with Andy Laties, the author of Rebel Bookseller himself. and tomorrow, I call the number that has been posted on the facade of the place I want the store to be...to see what it'll mean financially, and geographically.

And an accomplishment: if all goes well, this blog will be made fully public in the next day. it has already been mentioned in a post I wrote on Astorians, a community forum, and If i can get the word out tonight on e-mail, will be part of the NYC bloggers network.

In the next post, I'll be starting to describe more specifically what we're up to. expect something new Saturday night or Sunday morning.