Bookseller Paradise in St. Louis! (Really)

We miss Skylark when we are gone. We have also missed in person bookselling conferences. When Alex & I first talked about opening a bookshop, we drove for 12 hours to our first ever Winter Institute and vowed to make THE decision on the drive home. Heartland (the Midwest and Great Lakes conference), Winter Institute (American Booksellers and International), and Spring Road Trip (Midwest only) are a huge part of the roots and fuel behind our passion. Gathering hundreds of Booksellers, Publishers, Authors, and other industry professionals is epicly nerdy and we always try to make the most of it.

Conferences can be broken down into a few major things . . . things we thought we would share with all of you. Because in the end, that is what it is all about. Bringing bookish dreams to all of you.

Place.

Every conference is in a different place. We get out of our shops into a new space to let our brains take on a new perspective. We visit other shops. We learn their stories. We look at what works and why and wonder what changes we should or could make back home. And we miss home. Every single time we walk into Skylark we love it more. But we also know that walking away every so often helps keep it that way. It honestly takes effort not to stop at the shop immediately instead of going home first and we pretty much force ourselves to go home and empty our suitcases and save the shop for the next morning. 

People.

The people behind the bookselling industry have a relationship like no other. We help one another with pretty much anything and everything. We never stop seeking more knowledge, more ideas, more more. Independent booksellers don’t view one another as competition. We are a whole. Every success is to be celebrated. Every dream is a foundation. Alex was recognized for making bookish impacts and it was beautiful. Our friend Kris from Left Bank Books in St. Louis was recognized for her significant contributions to bookselling (and the universe at large) and it was inspiring. We met booksellers who had only been booksellers for a few weeks, booksellers who are icons, booksellers who have ties to multiple bookshops because they can’t stop being booksellers, no matter where they land.

The publishers and reps are generous and invested and just as excited about the books as the rest of us. They spend time at their booths, talking to us as we riffle through their displays. They make recommendations for us, and for you. Books that aren’t out yet and books we might have missed from before. This is where we discover some of our biggest sellers. Unique titles that are not on any bestseller list, but are on ours. They introduce us to authors, spoil us with small dinner gatherings, and generally share in our excitement.

Speaking of authors. The authors speak to us, dine with us, mingle and nerd out with us. We make plans for events, book clubs, and again . . . share the nerdy excitement of published (or soon to be published) pages.

Books.
BECAUSE BOOKS, y’all.