Ask the Expert: What’s the Skinny on Indie Bookstores?

This month I asked Ward Tefft, owner of Chop Suey Books, for a behind-the-scenes look at indie bookstores. Ward was brought to Richmond in the early 90s by Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating in 1994, he moved to Buffalo, NY to pursue a Masters in English. After achieving that, he realized he had qualified himself for little save working in bookstores. He quickly got to it, and after working at bookstores in Buffalo and Manhattan, he moved back to Richmond in October 2001. Chop Suey Books opened five months later, and he’s done little else since.

Me: Tell me the origin story of Chop Suey Books? 

Ward: Chop Suey Books was prematurely opened in March of 2002. I had recently moved back to Richmond after being away for 8 years and thought that I would open a bookstore in the next year or two. Two months after arriving, I saw that one of my favorite buildings was for rent. This was a place my friend had lived in for a few years, and decades before was George’s Chop Suey, a fact we knew only from the rusting sign out front. I thought that Chop Suey Books had a special ring to it, so with little preparation, less money, and no idea of what I was getting myself into, I signed a 5 year lease. The rest is history.

Me:  What makes Chop Suey special? 

Ward: Everyone thinks that their kid is the best looking, most polite, and smartest person on the planet. As they should. But, making a case for that is futile. I don’t know that Chop Suey is special, but I do know that everyone who works here tries hard to curate an interesting stock, be totally inclusive and welcoming to all, and provide great books at good prices. All with a sense of humor.

Me: As a customer, how can I make the most of a trip to Chop Suey? 

Ward: Go upstairs. We have 5 rooms packed with books up there, but sometimes even long term customers don’t know that this space exists. The door is up front by the register. Just leave yourself enough time to get lost.

Me: What challenges do you face as an independent bookstore and how do you overcome them?

Ward: Amazon. This is not particular to indie bookstores these days, but it is a growing nuisance to all of our colleagues who face accusations of overpricing our books. Despite the fact that the price of the books is printed on the cover of the book, and not set by us at all. We counter this by offering services that Amazon cannot such as readings/events, spot-on recommendations, and basic human contact.

Me: In what ways can non-Richmonders enjoy and support Chop Suey books?

Ward: We have a website (chopsueybooks.com) with a very, very small percentage of our inventory listed. But, I think the best way to support us if you are not local is to find a great bookstore in your area and patronize it. Make sure you get as much from them as you can afford. I make a point of visiting bookstores in every city I travel to and make a point of buying books. Re-calibrating our default dependence on the internet can be revolutionary.