[Sara setting up her display — photo by Memories By Ana Photography]
Sara, your bookstore is such a boon for our town — that I can attest to. But what in the world made you decide to set up shop during the pandemic?!
Opening a bookstore in the Rivertowns was a nagging dream I had for a while, and I had worked out a business plan and done lots of research by connecting with other booksellers, but it never seemed to be the right time to take the leap. The perfect puzzle that every family has to put together, containing each parent’s career and childcare, seemed too precious to disrupt. But having it all upended by the pandemic with remote school, furloughs, and remote work shook up our life enough to feel like it was worth risking. It might be now or never to realize my dreams and I didn’t want to waste more time doing work that didn’t feel like my true calling anymore. I made it official in August of 2020 and had my physical shop open for business in Dobbs Ferry in October 2020.
Sometimes a crisis is the best impetus to get us moving. Still, I imagine that running a bookstore is challenging, especially in our uncertain times — but do you feel like this venture fulfills something in you? Are you gratified by spreading some book love in the world?
Bookselling fulfills me personally and is my tiny contribution towards making the world a better place. The state of the world can be overwhelming and it is frustrating to feel so powerless against the broader issues and injustice. I decided I want to amplify what is good as a small act of resistance. To get to share excellent literature and art is a privilege and a joy. I hope to provide diverse books that can serve as either mirrors to reflect the readers’ own life, or windows into the lives of others. Honestly, many adults would benefit from the lessons in picture books. Books are tools for growing empathy, and they provide connection.
Can you talk a little about your former career in the art world? It’s so interesting that you were once a curator and now you curate books for your community.
My entire career before this was in the contemporary art world. I was a gallery director, worked in the contemporary art department of an auction house, and most recently was an editor for a publisher owned by an art gallery. I think I take some of the curator’s eye with me when selecting books, making careful decisions, and thinking about how the books speak to each other conceptually. In my display, both online and in-person, I lean more towards a gallery feel than a traditional overstuffed bookstore. Those are great too, but I wanted to offer something different and authentic to my own vision. The name Picture Book, a nod to the Kinks song, is about providing picture books for kids that are beautiful in both content and illustration, but also giving that same joy to adults finding their own “picture books” in art books, gorgeously photographed cookbooks, and great fiction that inspires them.
In the art world, I often felt that female artists and artists of color were not as well funded or promoted as they deserved, so it’s a thrill to just be able to make my book selections with a strong representation of diverse female artists and authors.
