![]() Deep Vellum Books is 900 square feet of historical awesomeness: a 100-plus year-old building, a historical plaque honoring the legendary blues singer Leadbelly on the wall outside (courtesy of the Deep Ellum Foundation), exposed brick, concrete floors, and the offices of Deep Vellum Publishing are tucked in the back. Octagon’s “3000,” unless local resident Andre 3000 would like to work with us: let’s collaborate, Dre! We used to eat at Soul Vegetarian together in Atlanta, now we’re both in Dallas! Let’s make magic!). ![]() And more than that I wanted a bookstore in the historic cultural district of Deep Ellum-the closest thing Dallas has to a melting pot neighborhood and inspiration for the name of Deep Vellum Publishing-the most culturally rich and historic neighborhood in the entire city, the neighborhood where I’ve worked since moving to Dallas, the neighborhood that inspires me every day to bring authors, translators, and readers together in new and exciting ways.ĭeep Vellum Books is now set to open in the heart of Deep Ellum at 3000 Commerce Street (our theme song will be Dr. The one thing I wanted in Dallas when I moved here two and a half years ago was a bookstore. ![]() Urban planners have found in repeated studies that one of the top items residents of neighborhoods-or entire cities-have said they wish they had in their community was a bookstore. "I want the shop to be a place that better supports good writers, especially the ones who need support or exposure," Hollander said, "Whether that's local or national or international.Bookstores provide a sense of community to what before was just a place. First, she's looking at the Casa Linda area in Lakewood, where she wants to open a store focused on family and children's books then, Preston Hollow, with an emphasis on classics and first editions. Hollander is already brainstorming plans to expand. "Deep Vellum's cultural contributions to the neighborhood provide significant benefits above and beyond the pure economics of the lease." "Madison Partners is very excited that Deep Vellum Books signed a lease that establishes Deep Vellum as a long term Deep Ellum tenant," says Jonathan Hetzel, who works at Madison Partners and serves as the president for the Deep Ellum Foundation. By the end of the year her goal is to sell 1,000 books each month. Hollander says now they go through 300 to 320 each month. It was barely enough to cover the bills, even with a sweetheart deal from the landlord, Madison Partners. During the store's six-month soft opening, the shop sold about 30 books per month. In that time, she's seen the business side improve. The middle school director, Kristina Nanini, calls these outings, "The envy of the school."įor Hollander, this community buy-in has been integral to her first 90 days running the shop. Top-tier readers in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades walk down to the shop for a literary discussion on books chosen by Hollander for each group. Twice a week, she works with the reading program. Once a week, she works as a mentor for an enrichment program in business marketing. ![]() She also partnered with Uplift Luna Preparatory on Elm Street. They've hosted concerts, plays, book signings and more. Hollander struck up partnerships with members of the literary community, such as author and poet Joe Milazzo, who recently launched a series called "Other People's Poetry" in the store. "But the ABCs of what we're doing here is accessible books and culture." "One of my biggest fears was not being accepted because even though I love books, I'm not the most literary person," says Hollander. Because in some ways, she came out of nowhere. Her main priority was integrating both herself and the store into the neighborhood and the literary community. She established the processes and procedures from operational hours to an inventory system. Since taking over, she has finished out the bookcases and the kitchen, reaching out to the store's neighbor, Tobeto Design, for custom-fabricated bar stools and a ladder to reach the books on the top shelves.
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