Bookshelves and Coffeecups

Bookshelves and Coffeecups is a used book and espresso shop located on 123 North Minnesota Street, New Ulm, Minnesota. It was begun 12 and half years ago by Pam and Jerry Chamberlain. They sell strictly used books and espresso drinks.

Pam and Jerry Chamberlain run a strictly Ma and Pa businesses out of a building that they own and live in. They work 50 hours a week, 6 days a week. They are there stores only employees. They do all of their own accounting and had no previous connection to New Ulm.

The reason that they chose to start their businesses in New Ulm was because it was a city large enough to support them, and it was a college town. Unlike a lot of downtown in Minnesota, New Ulm actually has a thriving downtown which contains many speciality shops.

12 and a half years ago when Jerry and Pam decided to get into business. They did a lot of research on how to run a used book store. They made a business plan and things have pretty much followed that business plan.

According to Jerry, "Used book stores are like snowflakes, everyone does them differently." Bookshelves and Coffecups is certainly a unique business.

They began the store with five thousand books and in 9 months they had forty thousand books. All of their inventory is from customers, and they have no more then 1 or 2 of any one book. They sell all of their books at half off the price that is listed on the book. They acquire there books through a trade-in process. People come and trade books in and the customers take books out. Pam and Jerry have never spent a single cent on their book inventory.

Bookshelves and Coffeecups started out by taking any book that was brought in. Nowadays they are a little bit more strict on the books that they take in because they simply don't need to take in every single book. They don't have room for all of them.

Bookshelves and Coffeecups is also an espresso bar. Pam and Jerry stress, "We are a combination of the two, we could no exceed as only a book store, and we could not exceed as only a coffee store." The Coffee store is operated much more like a traditional store in the sense that Pam and Jerry have to buy goods to sell.

The Coffeecups section of the store qualifies the store as a full blown restaurant. This means that they have to meet the same standards they a full blown Chinese restaurant has to meet because of the NSF which is a public health and safety company. Instead of having a $600 refrigerator, they have to had to purchase a $2000 refrigerator because it is NSF approved. Directly above their steamer, they are required to have special ceiling tiles which are extra thick and heavy in order to prevent the ceiling from collapsing in case steam would melt the ceiling tiles. The only item that produces steam in their store is a tiny steamer whose steam rises no more then a foot from the counter.

Jerry had a very interesting response when ask him about the recession. "In the late 90's business was okey. We experienced the same growth most business when they are first starting up. However, 2000 was a presidential election year. Everyone told us that the winter after a presidential election retail drops for a few months. We didn't really know if this was going to affect us. Sure enough, the winter after the election we experience a drop in business. Ever since that time we have been experiencing a drop. Since the Obama election, we have been begun slowly picking it up again. Unlike most small business owners who would much rather have a conserative president, I prefer the more liberal president."

Pam and Jim are kicking it old school. They live in the upstairs of their business. This means that they don't have to drive to work or pay rent. Pam and Jim are in this business for the lifestyle. There business allows them to get away from the stress and politics and through the years their steady customers have become good friends. Bookshelves and Coffeecups has the slogan, "Adopt a stray." They serve many different kinds of customers from all walks of life.