So many questions. So little time.
Too often there is just not enough time in a day to quickly answer everyone. Hold tight. We will get back to you.
In the mean time, here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions…
Opening day is scheduled for April 30th? Why so soon?
The nature of the project. Using a particular space, one left empty by a big box bookseller, is important to me. With that in mind, there are two, possibly three, options in Pittsburgh. It would have been great to have had many months to plan. But the owners of those spaces are actively working to rent them and could find a new tenant at any time. There is no way to guarantee that a space will be available a few months from now. Many long-term leases can take a couple months to negotiate. Even if an interested tenant came in today, the short time-line makes sure that we have the opportunity to use the space and that the owner doesn’t lose the opportunity to find a long-term tenant by allowing us to do so.
Can a pop-up bookstore really be pulled together in 5 weeks?
That depends on your definition of “pulled together.” Something will happen. What that is, what is possible, is highly dependent on who shows up, literally and figuratively, to support it with their ideas, work, talents, time, presence,… All I can do is take the idea out of my head, find a way to make it possible, try to build a team to get things started, and work to get the information and opportunity in front of as many people as possible. Whether or not those people value the idea and choose to be involved, is up to them. If they do, we’ll do everything we can to support them.
Why will Fleeting Pages only be opened for one month?
Simple answer- cost and time. We felt that it was long enough to test some theories, and to make giving up the rest of our lives for 11 weeks worth it. Short enough to get an owner who wants a long-term tenant for their space to agree. We do have a two-week extension added in, so it may be opened for 6 weeks.
What will happen when the month ends?
Not sure. There are a few different possibilities in mind. One being to take all that is learned, altering it for a different region, and opening others in various places or supporting others to open their own version where they live. Another is to open more pop-ups of various kinds in the Pittsburgh area- allowing a more direct role in the creation of the spaces and what is available to be consumed in our city. There are a lot of possibilities. It will only be through experiencing the process and having the ability to look back on it after that a decision about its future will be made.
Do you think it will be successful? / Why take the risk?
That depends on your definition of “successful.” That something like this happens at all, especially after Borders Group announced their bankruptcy the closing of 275 stores, is important to me. It matters. And I trust that I am not alone in that view. No matter how it turns out, something will be learned. That’s exciting. What’s more exciting is all the work, a lot of which I don’t even know exists yet, that I will be exposed to.
Why not wait and use a different, smaller space, or hold a fair instead?
There already is a great annual small press fair in Pittsburgh. Fleeting Pages isn’t meant to be a fair. It’s about using this particular space, filling it with independent work, and having a focus on creation. Here’s the way my friend Jenny describes it: “It’s sort of an ode to the transformation of the publishing industry and a way to comment on the irony of the big box bookstore’s demise giving rise to the independent book creators and sellers who were pushed out by box stores.”
Do you think that this is a solution or is what the next evolution of a brick and mortar bookstore will be?
No. I don’t think there is a universal one-size-fits-all solution. There are a lot of great bookstores out there who do what they do really well and have a local population that both appreciates and supports them. There are a lot of people in the publishing industry with ideas based on their experience. And there are a lot of consumers who know what they would like in a bookstore that would make shop there. Exploring all of those ideas about the future of the bookstore is something that we hope will happen during the month. We have an open call for submissions on the topic- bookstores. Past, present, and future.
How will the emporium function?
There will be three main parts- retail bookstore, workshops/group work, and event space. Possibly four parts if we are able to outfit the gutted cafe to make it legal again.
What type of books will be available?
All kinds of independent and self-published work including, but not limited to, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, zines, cookbooks,…..
What types of workshops and events?
Our hope is that as much work as possible will be created during the month. We are open to and pursuing all kinds of workshops that revolve around written self-expression and book arts.
How will the space be furnished?
There will be some bookshelves left in the space and we will be adding in some others, along with tables, chairs,…. We are looking for people with an interest in the layout and design of the space, new ways of displaying books,….. Contact us with any ideas you may have.
How can I help?
Glad you asked. There is a lot of work to be done and we could use, and would be grateful for, all the help we can get. Take a look at our Be Involved section or Contact us for more information.
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