The Idea

Hi.


I’m Sarah, and I’m in the process of purchasing a property with the intention to open a bookstore in Martinez, California. I have a background in nonprofit administration, theater and event producing, and I care very deeply about ethical working conditions, interpersonal relationships and creative world building. 

My family owns a construction supply business in Martinez that my father founded and I have benefited greatly from being born into this privilege. I’m interested in taking on his legacy of business ownership to build another local business that is emotionally, socially and fiscally healthy for anyone that crosses its path. That means an emphasis on employee culture and community as well as the store’s patrons. Even when the customer is right, the bookseller is still a human worthy of dignity and respect. I care about mentorship and the struggle of ethical business practices under capitalism.


I hope to reinvest the resources I have back into the East Bay Area and work toward living in creative community again and I believe that a brick and mortar book and retail space that is wildly joyous and carefully crafted is the right container for my skills and desires. Reading is my life’s most enduring joy and I believe deeply in the power of books and bookselling to help tilt the world toward justice. 

 I know how to organize and manage people and treat them with dignity. 

I don’t know shit about selling books. 

I need some help.




Art stands on the shoulders of craft, which means that to get to the art, you must master the craft.
— Anne Patchett