Why Opening a Bookstore is Like Having a Baby

By Sandy Koropp

It occurred to me on my walk last Mother's Day (I needed to clear my head before reviewing 1,500 suggested fiction titles for purchase for Prairie Path Book,  opening June 2) that opening a bookstore is like having a baby. For a couple of reasons, but mostly this:

• People ask all the time, "How do you know what you're doing? You've opened a bookstore before?" 

No, no. Nope. Haven't. Have not done that. But, you know, we women kick butt at figuring things out. We ask for help. We benchmark with other people. We persist: "I still don't get it and I really need to, so once again?" 

• Remember how people were always so happy to share their tidbits and badbits about their own newborn experience?  

It's really the same as opening a brick-and-mortar store. Every time I ask for help, people are right there. I am creating a section on gardening books but I do not garden. I most decidedly do not compost, but I know enough to feel guilty for disposing my banana peels.  

I know! I'll ask Eleanore, my tennis pal who always talks about rhubarb!! Well, not always, but she does have the most Frontgate-looking urns in town on her porch. So, of course, that willingness to reveal my complete helpless ignorance reminds me of asking Cindy and Sherry, neighbors when I had newborns, "Can I really put rice cereal in the bottle to make her sleep longer??"  Minus the bleary-eyes and spittle-stains, I'm doing the same thing with my store.

• If you had to learn everything about mom-ming in one day you would no doubt execute The Koropp Family's Stress Motto: "When in trouble, fear and doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." (It blows free a lot of panicky adrenaline when you actually do this. Highly recommend). 

Of course you don't know on Day One how to breastfeed, bathe and clothe the little bugger, swaddle them, get the car seat and stroller gear to work, much less take your own shower. Unless your name is Christa Bolt, and no, I'll never forgive you for being so good right away at everything. But on Day 7 you are slick with the feeding, daddy does the bathing, and the car seat? You can get in and out of a Whole Foods space before any vegan can get cranky.

My mothering experience makes me feel better as I select books for my one-of-a-kind (I promise) inventory for Prairie Path Books. I don't know everything at all, but I know a lot more today than I did yesterday.  And besides, my years of clueless-until-confident mothering are coming in super handy because now I'm more comfortable with taking a gradual on this learning curve.  

I know it will come to me in time. However, if you do see me running, circling, screaming and shouting in the coming weeks,  laugh with me, K?