Ok, so I obviously have not posted in a while. It's easy to forget to do so, when you've been traveling as much as I've been lately. Well, that's not entirely true...since I stayed at my Mom's for about a week and a half trying to get my purchases all caught up. Before that free extended stay, I traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma to attend book sales and a few Borders bookstore closings. I was very fortunate to acquire thousands of books to list, unfortunately, I still have not finished them up before I headed out for more book sales. Thankfully, my Mom is being really cool about helping me out right now, and letting me store several boxes there. Of course, I have to get there in a couple of weeks and get them all caught up, but that's a deadline I am looking forward to meeting.
I feel horrible for putting the blog on the back burner, so I apologize for not keeping up with you all. I am hoping to get everything caught up so I can get back to writing about the crazy things that happen to me on the road. Like last night's attempted robbery. That's being a little exaggerating, but some dude tried to take my books that I set aside at last night's sale. I put them in a tub, at the end of the table with a bag on top, but turned quickly to see some dude stealing my stuff. He was cool and apologized about it, but I'm like...duh, if everything you're pulling out of a tub...when the library is using boxes...scans for bucks and you remove a bag off the top to get to them...don't you think that they're some one's stuff?
I got most of the stuff back, although I noticed several things that were missing this morning as I sorted and boxed up the merchandise for listing. I was so angry, I immediately paid for the remaining books and took a break...which I do not normally do at these sales. My neck was in excruciating pain (if you did not know, I had neck fusion surgery last year), so I was already on the brink of crying, and then getting my stuff ripped off, just make the tears flow. Thankfully, I waited until I was at my truck and released the anger and was clear to just let it all out. Although it was a girl moment, it was very therapeutic and I was able to go back inside and kick some butt! I was able to refocus and it made the night go much better, which seemed to be a disaster from the start, since I did not know that they sold wristbands starting at 9 am. I got there and hour and a half early to line up, but I ended up being #82 in line.
Since I was so far back, I decided to try the higher priced items in the specialty room. OMG, what a waste of time. I cannot justify paying half price of the current market value and expect to make a living. I wasted about 10 minutes before I went to the big room and started getting luckier. I quickly filled up my tub and had to use a box to transport new stuff to my stash. Although I was blessed to leave with 170 books, I have no idea how much of my treasure was stolen by the jerk. (This only happened because the organizer said that my cart was too big to take into the sale area, so I only took in a tub. Since I am not as strong as I was before the surgery, I had to leave it at the end of a table. I put a bag on top, but it still wasn't enough to stop the poacher.) I apologize for still being angry about it, but I am now remembering more and more of the stuff that disappeared...I know, how can I remember the books, I guess it's a photographic memory thing. I should have just taken everything out of his cart, but wanted to be fair, so I left some. We could have gotten banned from the sale if we got into it, so it was best to just walk away. I know, this is about the future, so you gotta take it every once in a while.
Next trip will be in Texas, however, I am taking my travel buddy along to share the cost of the trip, so I will spend a few days in Oklahoma after the next sale. Then, I am rushing back to Fort Worth, because my sister will be in from Hawaii (plus I have to clean up my mess at my Mom's). I only get to see her once a year now, because I don't have the money to visit her yet. I had made plans last year, but had the surgery instead. Every time I show a desire to go, something financially altering happens, and I can't come up with the airfare. One day, I will get to visit.
I know that I can't continue to live for my business as I do, but it's hard not to work like I am right now. I figure I only have a couple of more years to build this company (and pay off the insane debt load from previous mistakes) before the electronic media forces me to find another avenue for supporting myself. Only time will tell, but I would love to be one of the lucky ones who can still have a viable book business. Seeing Borders close is a sign (even though their business model of paying high rents and charging full price for a book is very out dated in the age of Amazon). I think that Barnes and Noble will be next and we will see a resurgence of the Independent book store again. However, I do not think that the individual stores will be able to survive by selling only new books, so it will be interesting on what kind of mix the next generation of bookstores will be. (Ok, I think I had started a really good synopsis of my own ideas, but decided that I can't share them with you because a competitor could stumble upon my blog and steal my idea/current business practices...so I better stop right now before I give the secret recipe away.)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Still Alive!
Since the money hasn't exactly been flowing in as much as I need to travel, I've been bouncing around Texas and Oklahoma. Sorry that I've been neglecting my blog, but there isn't really much to report. Well, I lost my scanner in Houston, on my birthday, of all days, however my life is still chaotic, just not as exciting.
I hope to have more adventured-filled days ahead!
I hope to have more adventured-filled days ahead!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Finally leaving Tucson
Well, the first book trip on the bus is almost over. I am waiting at the Tucson Greyhound Terminal for a ride to Ruidoso, NM for a little break while visiting my cousin. (However, I really hope that the Ruidoso Friends of the Library store is fully stocked with new merchandise that I can't say no too!) I spent 2 extra days here, which is both good and bad. Good that I bought so many books to warrant the extra stay, bad because I am broke! May end up washing out the profits due to having slow internet connections, my inability to stay focused when working in an improperly cooled room, and eating with my favorite Night Clerk.
I really thought I bought a lot of great stuff, but as I continued to list and research book prices, I realized that my German language books may not be anything special. Only a few of them were selling for decent money on amazon.de, so that means that the Amazon.com marketplace sellers are just throwing out insane numbers. Most of my prices are dramatically lower than my competitors, but we'll see how long the others' stay so inflated. Thus, I may not have bought as many good books as I originally thought. Only time will tell, but I hope that it's not as bad as I'm feeling right now.
I think the most important thing I learned from this trip is that I really miss my truck. It's hard to do my job without my own wheels (shipping supply surplus, postage scale and printer). To sum up the adventure: rental cars are too expensive to keep when you're not driving very far, cabs drivers should be arrested for extortion, hotels.com packages are not really good deals, and La Quinta is the best hotel chain for business travelers.
I got everything shipped to Amazon and I hope that I get a quick turnaround. I need to replenish my travel funds so I can go to a sale in Pennsylvania on the 24th. Gotta milk this bus pass for all it's worth!
I really thought I bought a lot of great stuff, but as I continued to list and research book prices, I realized that my German language books may not be anything special. Only a few of them were selling for decent money on amazon.de, so that means that the Amazon.com marketplace sellers are just throwing out insane numbers. Most of my prices are dramatically lower than my competitors, but we'll see how long the others' stay so inflated. Thus, I may not have bought as many good books as I originally thought. Only time will tell, but I hope that it's not as bad as I'm feeling right now.
I think the most important thing I learned from this trip is that I really miss my truck. It's hard to do my job without my own wheels (shipping supply surplus, postage scale and printer). To sum up the adventure: rental cars are too expensive to keep when you're not driving very far, cabs drivers should be arrested for extortion, hotels.com packages are not really good deals, and La Quinta is the best hotel chain for business travelers.
I got everything shipped to Amazon and I hope that I get a quick turnaround. I need to replenish my travel funds so I can go to a sale in Pennsylvania on the 24th. Gotta milk this bus pass for all it's worth!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
5 States in 2 Days
I left Kansas on Wednesday afternoon because I had to catch my bus at 6 am on Thursday. Thus, I purchased my 60 day Greyhound Discovery Pass. I left Oklahoma City and traveled through Texas and New Mexico in order to get to Tucson, Arizona by 6:30 am Friday morning. Whew...that's a lot of miles and thank God that I was not driving them (although I drove a bit in Kansas on the way back to Oklahoma)! I'd love to talk about the adventure in detail, however I was blessed to purchase about 350 books here and I have to get them listed and shipped out by Monday morning. Perhaps I can elaborate during my brief stay at my cousin's in Ruidoso. I'm scheduled to leave out at 11:45 pm on Monday.
I don't know if I can pull of all of this work, but I'm going to give it my best. I'd hate to rent the car for another day and find other lodging, because I was ready to leave this overpriced roach motel upon arrival (I found my room already occupied when I plugged in my phone to charge.). I'm not sure if it was dead or alive, but it was next to the outlet. (I was extremely irate over this since I called ahead to see if I could get an early check-in and was given the excuse that there were not going to be any rooms available until 3 pm because housekeeping had to clean 200 due to the conference.) Since the internet was not working, I was relocated. Unfortunately, I think that the rude front desk personnel intentionally put me in the worst room as punishment. This room had chips, possibly Doritos, on the floor and a broken AC...literally, somebody kicked it and the front casing is all jacked up! I took pictures but cannot upload them yet as I've got an insane workload to complete in less than 48 hours.
I don't know if I can pull of all of this work, but I'm going to give it my best. I'd hate to rent the car for another day and find other lodging, because I was ready to leave this overpriced roach motel upon arrival (I found my room already occupied when I plugged in my phone to charge.). I'm not sure if it was dead or alive, but it was next to the outlet. (I was extremely irate over this since I called ahead to see if I could get an early check-in and was given the excuse that there were not going to be any rooms available until 3 pm because housekeeping had to clean 200 due to the conference.) Since the internet was not working, I was relocated. Unfortunately, I think that the rude front desk personnel intentionally put me in the worst room as punishment. This room had chips, possibly Doritos, on the floor and a broken AC...literally, somebody kicked it and the front casing is all jacked up! I took pictures but cannot upload them yet as I've got an insane workload to complete in less than 48 hours.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Back from MO
Overall, it was a great sale. I did not purchase the quantity that I'd wished for at MO sale, however, I got more hitting the thrift/used bookstores in KS on the way back to OKC than I had anticipated. I'm now rushing to get the books cleaned and shipped to my primary store, so they can be available for sale ASAP. Got enough money to hit an extra sale this week, so I am pretty excited to see what potential profits can be found. However, there's a lot to be done before then, thus I must make a quick post of the travel.
I loved eating in Old Town St. Charles. It was like stepping back in time, but thankful for the modern conveniences that we take for granted daily. The cobblestone streets and old buildings were from the colonial era and a wonderful setting for lunch (I'm not certain how many of the buildings were actually historic and which were reproductions). We ate at the Trailhead Brewing Co. and the food was fabulous. The chili, which will no longer be an item as of Monday, was a nice surprise and very different from the chili found in Texas. It had a bean base with chunks of brisket and a nice bite. The burgers were thick and juicy, but the fries were horrible, so the kid's pepperoni pizza made a better side! I would have liked to walked a bit more around town, but I was exhausted from the drive and only 4 hours of sleep, plus I had to get back to the sale and buy more, since I did not have a decent quantity. Thankfully, I picked up a rare book that is worth a couple hundred, so that was a blessing and motivation to attend next year.
Sleep beckoned, thus I left the sale early. In fact, I overslept and left later than planned, but managed to shop 1 store in Kansas City before hitting the hotel. However, the pit stop in Columbia, was the highlight. We accidentally toured the University of Missouri. Wow, what a beautiful campus, at least the small portion that we saw! Chris spotted a Gothic-style church from the distance so I drove closer for a better look. Then, I started to notice that the street signs have the Mizzou Tigers emblem and saw that this church was actually the student union center. We drove a couple of blocks trying to find Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe, the billboard on I-70 caught my attention, so I was on a mission to eat at this sandwich shop, which is how we ended up finding Mizzou.. Got to the eatery and struck up some conversations with the staff, where I learned that the campus had burned in the 1800s and that the only things left were the columns. There was a picture adorning the wall so I just had to see them in person. After eating, we drove and parked so Chris could get his own photo. As we walked to the site, we were plagued by locusts! I could not believe the noise and how aggressive a few of the little monsters were. Had one land and crawl up my leg, and another got mad when I swatted it off of my neck! Minus the bugs, it was a nice walk in a serene garden that led to the columns.
Needless to say, we got more books than we hoped for during the KS leg. That was good, but the only noteworthy experience happens to be the parking ticket I received while eating at The Burger Place in Lawrence, KS. Chris paid at the wrong meter, thus I have a lovely $3.00 ticket that must be paid in 10 days, or a $12 late fee will be added. The Burger Place is in the downtown section, which was like walking into the 1950s. It was such a cool scene as there were lots of shops and restaurants open along both sides of the street. Since there were no visible parking lots, you had to pay at parking meters. (I'm sure that there were some parking lots hidden somewhere, but I was hungry and looked for the closest spot to park the beast.) It seemed to be the place to be as there were hundreds of patrons walking on the sidewalks. Hope to visit it again, now that I know which meter belongs to which parking space!
I loved eating in Old Town St. Charles. It was like stepping back in time, but thankful for the modern conveniences that we take for granted daily. The cobblestone streets and old buildings were from the colonial era and a wonderful setting for lunch (I'm not certain how many of the buildings were actually historic and which were reproductions). We ate at the Trailhead Brewing Co. and the food was fabulous. The chili, which will no longer be an item as of Monday, was a nice surprise and very different from the chili found in Texas. It had a bean base with chunks of brisket and a nice bite. The burgers were thick and juicy, but the fries were horrible, so the kid's pepperoni pizza made a better side! I would have liked to walked a bit more around town, but I was exhausted from the drive and only 4 hours of sleep, plus I had to get back to the sale and buy more, since I did not have a decent quantity. Thankfully, I picked up a rare book that is worth a couple hundred, so that was a blessing and motivation to attend next year.
Sleep beckoned, thus I left the sale early. In fact, I overslept and left later than planned, but managed to shop 1 store in Kansas City before hitting the hotel. However, the pit stop in Columbia, was the highlight. We accidentally toured the University of Missouri. Wow, what a beautiful campus, at least the small portion that we saw! Chris spotted a Gothic-style church from the distance so I drove closer for a better look. Then, I started to notice that the street signs have the Mizzou Tigers emblem and saw that this church was actually the student union center. We drove a couple of blocks trying to find Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe, the billboard on I-70 caught my attention, so I was on a mission to eat at this sandwich shop, which is how we ended up finding Mizzou.. Got to the eatery and struck up some conversations with the staff, where I learned that the campus had burned in the 1800s and that the only things left were the columns. There was a picture adorning the wall so I just had to see them in person. After eating, we drove and parked so Chris could get his own photo. As we walked to the site, we were plagued by locusts! I could not believe the noise and how aggressive a few of the little monsters were. Had one land and crawl up my leg, and another got mad when I swatted it off of my neck! Minus the bugs, it was a nice walk in a serene garden that led to the columns.
Needless to say, we got more books than we hoped for during the KS leg. That was good, but the only noteworthy experience happens to be the parking ticket I received while eating at The Burger Place in Lawrence, KS. Chris paid at the wrong meter, thus I have a lovely $3.00 ticket that must be paid in 10 days, or a $12 late fee will be added. The Burger Place is in the downtown section, which was like walking into the 1950s. It was such a cool scene as there were lots of shops and restaurants open along both sides of the street. Since there were no visible parking lots, you had to pay at parking meters. (I'm sure that there were some parking lots hidden somewhere, but I was hungry and looked for the closest spot to park the beast.) It seemed to be the place to be as there were hundreds of patrons walking on the sidewalks. Hope to visit it again, now that I know which meter belongs to which parking space!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Well it's done!
I got moved out a little after midnight, thus I am completely nomadic! Right now, I'm in Oklahoma City waiting to begin the first trip without the safety of home. I got here around 5:30 am, deep in exhaustion. Going on 5 hours of sleep but it really doesn't feel like it after being awake and working hard for 24 1/2 hours straight. Already unloaded my truck as I am planning OKC being my base of operations for June, when I am not on the bus elsewhere. I have a lot of work to catch up on and my friend said it would be cool to use his place this month when I am not traveling, so I am going to take advantage of such generosity!
I guess it doesn't hurt when I am picking him up and taking him along this trip. He's a friendly competitor, also a bookseller. I know that I can't buy all of the books, so it's nice to split expenses at times on these trips. He rarely travels to book sales, yet he traveled once to Arlington, TX in October 2009, which is where we met. I attended the OKC sale this past February and ran into him again when I was leaving on the second day. In this business, you get to know your competition and it's nice to strike up friendships. As I've said earlier, you can never buy all of the books, so it's nice to actually like the people that get those you can't purchase! I have several friends that I hold dear in the business. But that will be revealed in later posts, now it's time to leave because Mr.-I-don't-know-how-to-prioritize is finally back so we can load the truck and go!
I guess it doesn't hurt when I am picking him up and taking him along this trip. He's a friendly competitor, also a bookseller. I know that I can't buy all of the books, so it's nice to split expenses at times on these trips. He rarely travels to book sales, yet he traveled once to Arlington, TX in October 2009, which is where we met. I attended the OKC sale this past February and ran into him again when I was leaving on the second day. In this business, you get to know your competition and it's nice to strike up friendships. As I've said earlier, you can never buy all of the books, so it's nice to actually like the people that get those you can't purchase! I have several friends that I hold dear in the business. But that will be revealed in later posts, now it's time to leave because Mr.-I-don't-know-how-to-prioritize is finally back so we can load the truck and go!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Too much stuff!
Technically, I've been moving since Easter weekend, so this weekend was the big move, meaning that I took all of my furniture to my dad's. I hired a moving company to load the 17 ft. U-Haul for me, which took about 3 hours. Of course, I paid for 2 so I had to go to the grocery store and get cash for the overage. I must say that my movers were amazing. They packed my truck expertly, so nothing was damaged in the move. I was very pleased to get everything to my dad's intact. In fact, my friend commented on Saturday that this was the easiest move that he's ever done. Although I am very thankful that it went smoothly, I wish that I was finished.
Since I drove a one-way U-Haul, today I am waiting at the bus station in Dallas for my return to Corsicana. I caught the bus in Comanche, TX last night around 7:00 and had an 11 hour and 20 minute layover in Dallas, so I am thankful that I had a friend with an extra bed. Not only was it my first bus trip since Woodstock '99, it was my first time riding the Green Line on Dart Rail. I could get used to public transportation as I enjoyed paying only $4 (it should have been $1.75 but I didn't read the screen to see that I could ride the train without purchasing a day pass). I was not prepared to sleep in the bus station, yet I may need to keep an open mind in the future. I have looked into purchasing a Discovery Bus Pass for 60 days and try traveling by bus as a way to cut transportation costs between the big sales.
This idea came to me last weekend when I was at the Houston book sale, well actually, as I was talking to my best friend from the hotel room. I told him that it seemed to be cheaper to rent a one-way U-Haul truck and catch the bus back, than to drive The Beast with U-Haul trailers several times. He make a wise crack about getting a bus pass for my book sale travels and I said that sounded like a good idea. I quickly began researching and found that a 60 day bus pass is $566. I already have 3 trips planned in June, well at least there are 3 sales that I'd like to attend, and the Tucson sale will cost at least $400 in gas. I spend $166 more and get to travel for 2 months free...lol.
If I don't get nauseated on today's bus ride, I may just have to try Greyhound for my first 2 months of homeless entrepreneurship. Yet, I still have tens of thousands of books to move before I can begin the nomadic life.
Since I drove a one-way U-Haul, today I am waiting at the bus station in Dallas for my return to Corsicana. I caught the bus in Comanche, TX last night around 7:00 and had an 11 hour and 20 minute layover in Dallas, so I am thankful that I had a friend with an extra bed. Not only was it my first bus trip since Woodstock '99, it was my first time riding the Green Line on Dart Rail. I could get used to public transportation as I enjoyed paying only $4 (it should have been $1.75 but I didn't read the screen to see that I could ride the train without purchasing a day pass). I was not prepared to sleep in the bus station, yet I may need to keep an open mind in the future. I have looked into purchasing a Discovery Bus Pass for 60 days and try traveling by bus as a way to cut transportation costs between the big sales.
This idea came to me last weekend when I was at the Houston book sale, well actually, as I was talking to my best friend from the hotel room. I told him that it seemed to be cheaper to rent a one-way U-Haul truck and catch the bus back, than to drive The Beast with U-Haul trailers several times. He make a wise crack about getting a bus pass for my book sale travels and I said that sounded like a good idea. I quickly began researching and found that a 60 day bus pass is $566. I already have 3 trips planned in June, well at least there are 3 sales that I'd like to attend, and the Tucson sale will cost at least $400 in gas. I spend $166 more and get to travel for 2 months free...lol.
If I don't get nauseated on today's bus ride, I may just have to try Greyhound for my first 2 months of homeless entrepreneurship. Yet, I still have tens of thousands of books to move before I can begin the nomadic life.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Background
Howdy,
Either you've stumbled upon my blog, purposefully sought me out, or just decided to stalk me...I hope that you will find my life chronicle entertaining. I am a soon-to-be completely mobile entrepreneur. I've ran a couple of online bookstores for several years now, and have recently changed business models to go mobile. Thus, in less than 20 days, I will be voluntarily homeless to champion my latest concept. I am very excited, yet somewhat scared of this new venture, since I am leaving the safety net of my apartment, but hope that all will work out as intended. This blog will be an account of the trials and tribulations of my journey. Stay tuned for my crazy adventure!
Either you've stumbled upon my blog, purposefully sought me out, or just decided to stalk me...I hope that you will find my life chronicle entertaining. I am a soon-to-be completely mobile entrepreneur. I've ran a couple of online bookstores for several years now, and have recently changed business models to go mobile. Thus, in less than 20 days, I will be voluntarily homeless to champion my latest concept. I am very excited, yet somewhat scared of this new venture, since I am leaving the safety net of my apartment, but hope that all will work out as intended. This blog will be an account of the trials and tribulations of my journey. Stay tuned for my crazy adventure!
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