How to Open a Bookstore (Real Costs, Inventory & What No One Tells You)

If you’ve ever tried to Google “how to open a bookstore,” you’ve probably noticed there’s almost no real information out there. When I opened my own bookstore, I had so many questions and struggled to find honest answers about the process. In this video, I’m sharing what I learned from my experience opening and running a brick-and-mortar bookstore — including the real costs, where bookstores actually buy their inventory, and the strategies I wish I had known earlier. I owned a bookstore for just under a year before closing it to focus on my health and shift my business toward bookish events and my online shop. Even though my journey changed, I learned a lot during that time and want to share that information to help others who are thinking about opening a bookstore. In this video we cover: • How much money it takes to open a bookstore • Different ways to fund a bookstore business • Where bookstores buy their inventory (wholesalers, publishers, and indie authors) • How to decide what books to stock in your store • A beginner-friendly ordering strategy that can save you money • The consignment model and how it can reduce upfront inventory costs • Extra beginner tips I wish I knew before opening my bookstore Opening a bookstore can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also a challenging business with thin margins. My goal with this series is to share transparent information so more people feel prepared going into it. If you're thinking about opening a bookstore, leave your questions in the comments — I’m building this series based on what you want to know. In my next video, I’ll be sharing what I would do differently if I were opening a bookstore again. Subscribe for more videos about bookstores, small business, and building a creative life around books.