Weekend in Laredo (part 2)

On Saturday, my second day in Laredo last weekend, I finally had the chance to meet Mary Benavides. I'm usually nervous before meeting new people, so much so that I start fabricating conversations in my head--conversations that inevitably become random and strange, not at all realistic--to prepare for the dialogue to come. But this time, I was more excited than nervous. Each time we'd spoken on the phone about our goals and plans for opening bookstores in Laredo, Mary was warm and open, never giving me the chance to feel anxious. The only odd thing about our meeting was that Courtney, who has been filming a documentary about the closing of Laredo's only bookstore and the community's reaction to it, wanted to get it on camera.

We'd originally arranged to meet at a coffeeshop but, at the last minute, discovered it was closed for another hour after our scheduled arrival. So instead we went to Danny's, a local Mexican restaurant and Laredo institution. We were ushered into the empty back room, all windows and pink walls. It was as Courtney started setting up her equipment that I felt the first flickers of nerves. I hadn't prepared anything to say!

"This is like a blind date," Courtney joked.

"Yeah, one of those Match.com commercials," I added. "Where they're even more awkward because they're being filmed."

We laughed.

Then Mary showed up, and for the next two hours we caught each other up on our progress and plans, only breaking to order and devour a plate of panchos. My nerves faded as quickly as they'd come, as she's one of those rare people with the ability to immediately put others at ease. Perhaps even better, she was a veritable fountain of insight about the book industry, which is so clearly her passion, and I realized freshly how much learning I have to do!

It's such an interesting situation: Two people striving to open the same type of business in the same not-huge city would, I think, normally be cautious of each other, well aware that they will soon be "competitors." But this is so different. Call me naive, but I think she and I genuinely support each other and want to see each other's businesses succeed. We're working toward the same goal, after all, and I think this kind of mutual respect and encouragement speaks to the unique type of goal it is: one with a heart.

Yes, yes. Cue the awwwws.

If We Build It, They Will Come

"If we build it, they will come," Mary Benavides said to me on the phone this afternoon.

I was in my car on my way to my usual parking lot in San Marcos, where I'm an MFA student at Texas State. I had spent the morning working on the book I'm co-writing with the fantastic Corey Blake (www.roundtablecompanies.com), hurriedly cleaning the house in preparation for the Austin Energy Audit we're having tomorrow, and looking at yet more online photos of apartments. Then I'd spent the afternoon trekking through apartments that were all beginning to look eerily alike, and talking to leasing people whose cheerfulness I was really starting to doubt. So hearing Mary's voice, despite the fact that it was only the second time we'd spoken, was decidedly refreshing.

We spoke for about twenty minutes, give or take, filling each other in on the status of our plans. "I want to help you in any way I can," she said. "I want us to work together on this."

"So do I," I told her, thrilled that we were still on the same page (okay, pun intended).

She told me that she's in the process of choosing a location and securing investors, and I told her about a conversation I'd had with my mom recently about the choice between funding the bookstore through investors versus taking out a loan.

With investors, it gets complicated, my mom had said. They will eventually want a return, and they'll expect that their ideas are heard and some of them incorporated. "That's hard for me," I told Mary. "I mean, if their ideas are in line with your vision, that's great. But what if they're not? How much do you owe an investor because he or she has helped you start this venture?"

"Katie, we're exactly in the same place!" she exclaimed. "Plus, I'm proud. It's hard for me to ask for help like that."

"Me too," I said.

At another point, she told me of the difficulty of actually securing investors for a project like this. "But I just keep saying, if we build it, they will come," Mary said.

Stuck in traffic, after just spitting out a bite of a sandwich with disgusting wasabi mayonnaise, I felt goosebumps rise on my arms. "I love that," I said.

"What we're doing is bigger than you and me, Katie. It's about community. It's all about community."

We again promised to keep each other posted, and Mary told me that she'll be in and out of San Antonio in the coming weeks in preparation for her daughter's wedding. I let her know that I'd love to drive down and meet her so that we can talk about our plans in person.

"I think the key is going to be that each of our stores offers something the other doesn't," I said. "That way, we're complementing each other, rather than competing."

"Katie," she said, "I don't want to be in competition with you in any way, shape, or form. We're partners in this."

And I truly feel like we are, which in itself is kind of miraculous. Mary, if you're reading this post, can't wait till we meet in person!

Laredo Bookstore Updates . . . Overdue!

Wow. If any week has shown me what a challenge opening this bookstore will be, it's this one. Which is why, I'm sorry to say, I haven't posted since Sunday.

This week, after being on the market for a year and a half, our house finally got an offer. A full-price offer (granted, after we significantly lowered the price), at that. So, after settling quite comfortably, if guiltily, into the fact that the house may not sell for some time, my husband and I have been jarred into the reality of looking for a new place to live, packing, and moving . . . all in less than 30 days. That is, assuming the sale goes through as planned. All of this means that, in addition to Colin starting a new job this week, and my full-time work and grad school and planning for this bookstore, we've been apartment-hunting like crazy. It's a level of stress that's laughable.

In any case, selling this house (again, assuming all goes through) probably couldn't come at a better time. Because our lives are so in flux right now, we'll be renting for a while, rather than buying. That leaves us with some flexibility when it comes to bookstore plans.

And speaking of plans: Mine for this week are:

* Finish my Pepsi grant application, to be posted online for voting on March 1. Courtney Sames, who has been working with Fede Cavazos on filming a documentary about B. Dalton closing and what has come next, has offered to send me a few photos to use for my application. I can't wait to see what she's got for me!

* Email the president of Texas A&M International University in Laredo; since university students are one of my key demographics, I would love to keep him informed in hopes that he will communicate my plans to all TAMIU students. I'd love to get them reading this blog and contributing their ideas as to what they'd like to see in an independent bookstore.

* Finalize and send off magazine pitches to at least three national women's magazines. I'll let you all know which ones once the pitches have gone out.

* More research and more work on my business plan. When the plan is finished, I'll use it to apply for more grants, as well as a small business loan from local financial institutions and the Small Business Association. Once I have funding, I'll be able to give you all more details as to what I have in mind for location.

* Visit with Mary Benavides again over the phone to compare notes on our plans. I have some ideas as to how we can both achieve our goals while providing Laredo with bookstores that aren't in direct competition. Details to come!

Another update is that my sister, a senior at Texas A&M University in College Station, has the opportunity to work with an expert to develop a detailed project management plan. She's opted to work with me on developing a plan for the bookstore, which I'm SO excited about! This is something separate from the business plan, and should serve as a roadmap throughout the project. I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

Soon to come: my vision for the bookstore. The size, the look and feel, the books, the non-books, the refreshments . . .

Thanks for coming back this week despite my inconsistency. Your readership inspires me!

Filming and a Phone Call

I'd like to start this post by thanking those who have been reading the blog and following my updates on Facebook and Twitter (KatieGPainter). I love the comments I'm getting on my Facebook wall, via e-mail, and on the phone, and I love hearing that friends and clients have passed the link to this blog onto their friends and family. I'm really learning how much reading, and buying books, means to the people in my life. But--as much as I adore hearing your comments through other mediums--for the love of literacy, throw out a couple of comments here! And follow the blog. I like seeing the little pictures on the left side of my screen. :) And also, what is reading and writing if not a conversation? So let's have one!

Entreaties aside, today was a productive and eventful day. I worked on a newsletter for a new telecommunications client and then had lunch with a former client, a fantastic biography writer. She had visited the blog and, curious woman that she is, had a million questions for me regarding my plans for the bookstore. So I enjoyed talking with her about that. It never gets old.

Yesterday, though, I found out from my aunt that I'm not the only one in Laredo moving forward with efforts to open a bookstore. Mary Benavides, who managed B. Dalton for the better part of 30 years, is also working toward this goal. My first thought, of course, was, Where does that leave me? Swiftly followed by, Oh, crap--I put my plans on the Internet too soon! They're all gonna laugh at me!

It was this state of mind that Courtney Sames found me in this afternoon. Courtney is one half of the documentarist duo I mentioned a couple of posts ago, and she wanted to come get an update from me on what I've been working on since our last talk.

"I wanted to talk to you about something off-camera first," I said. "I just heard that Mary Benavides is also trying to open a bookstore."

Courtney smiled, a little sheepish. "Well..." she said. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that."

I had to laugh. Sneaky documentarist!

"She called me on my way over here," Courtney said. "She'd like to talk to you. She's so nice," Courtney assured me. "The warmest person you'll ever meet."

I told Courtney that my aunt had given me Mary's number (the two have been good friends for years--such is Laredo) and that I intended to call after our interview. Courtney's eyes lit up. She looked at her camera. "Would you mind if...?"

That's how, after I updated Courtney and showed her this blog and the grant site, I ended up being filmed while I spoke to Mary.

Courtney was right about Mary's warmth and friendliness. After a slightly awkward start, I felt at ease, and we talked to each other about our plans and ideas. It was clear that Mary is as passionate as I am about bringing a bookstore to Laredo and fostering a community of arts and culture.

So where does that leave me? Right where I left off. We ended the call by promising to keep each other updated. More importantly, we vowed to find a way to achieve our goals in a complementary, rather than competitive, way. What, exactly, that means remains to be seen. But you'll know when I do!

As for the photo? He's the brains behind this operation.