Ideas bookstore

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A new bookstore in the Village of Kimberton, Pennnsylvania.
New and used ...

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Ideas Bookstore Rises in Phoenixville, Pa.
Shannon Chamberlin opened Ideas Bookstore, a new and used bookstore with an anthroposophic focus, in Phoenixville, Pa., on December 13. The 1,500-square-foot store is something of a hybrid between a traditional bookstore and a New Age bookstore--the majority of the store's general-interest books are used, while most of the store's new titles relate to anthroposophy, a branch of philosophy founded by the Austrian thinker Rudolf Steiner.

"I'm not quite sure how to characterize it," said Chamberlin. "We're not quite a traditional bookstore, not quite a New Age bookstore."

Anthroposophy serves, Chamberlin explained, as the philosophical basis for Waldorf Education and biodynamic agriculture, among other things. The original impetus to open the store, in fact, was to sell books on biodynamic agriculture--Chamberlin had no experience in bookselling or in retail, but she did have a master's degree in English literature and a background in education, as well as a passion for books and anthroposophy. Initially, she'd hoped to open the store in February 2014, but renovating the building and getting the required permits took much, much longer than she'd expected. In the meantime, Chamberlin kept collecting used books, and the store's inventory evolved.

"I had always planned to do some renovations," said Chamberlin. At first, the plans were fairly simple, but gradually they became bigger and bigger. "In a way, it became a complete renovation of the space."

She received a certificate of occupancy in December, and was able to open in time for the holidays. Her community, she recounted, has been extremely supportive, and holiday sales were very strong, despite opening with next to no warning. "We opened very suddenly, and nobody had really any idea," she said. "But word got around that we were here."

So far, Chamberlin reported, used books have been selling best. She's considered carrying more sidelines, but at the moment stocks only greeting cards. And although she has no restaurant or cafe in her store, she does offer organic coffee and tea for 50 cents per cup. "It was donation coffee and tea, but nobody was donating," she recalled. "So I turned into 50-cent coffee and tea."



Chamberlin at Ideas Bookstore
Chamberlin is the store's only staff member, but she would like to hire someone in the near future. Her biggest goal for 2015 by far, though, is to expand the store's events program. Study groups have started to meet at the store, and she's in the midst of getting a book club going. The store is near a community for mentally handicapped adults, and Chamberlin would like to organize book clubs for them. Most of the store's events so far have been with local writers. Her most popular event to date, Chamberlin recalled, was with a local woman who created a biodynamic calendar that featured information on the best times of the year to plant specific seeds. Remarked Chamberlin: "I don't know if I overcame my maximum occupancy rate or not."

Although Chamberlin hopes to bring in nationally recognized authors, the goal is to use events to make her store a real community space. "At the Winter Institute [in 2014] they talked about bookstores as public places, and I loved that concept," she said. "I want the bookstore to be a place where people can come and read and not feel like they have to rush in, grab a book and get out." --Alex Mutter