Beyond Words Won't Go Beyond August

by Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly, 8/2/2004

Twenty-five-year-old Beyond Words Bookshop in Northampton, Mass., will close its doors this week. It had been running a going-out-of-business sale during July.

Founded in 1978, the 2,100-sq.-ft. store specialized in books on inner development and had been doing fine economically. But in another example of the importance of succession planning, when the Krauths were ready to move on, they were unable to find a buyer. "Twenty-five years is a really long time," Jeff Krauth told PW. "We're not closing because of finances. We're closing because of lifestyle." His wife, Diana, will begin teaching in the fall; Jeff is looking forward to some time off. "I think I need a new adventure," he said. "I thought it would be interesting to be an acquisitions editor, but I'd like to take a breather."

Despite the store's fiscal health, Jeff Krauth noted that the economics of independent bookselling did play a role in the decision to close. "We're working at least as hard as ever, and it's stressful," he said. "We didn't start a store to run a Web site, have events, get every penny out of co-op and watch what chain's opening next." Three years ago, the Krauths, who own their building, cut their 4,000 square feet space in half and began renting to several complementary businesses. In August, the Hempest, a clothing and accessories store, will expand into the space that Beyond Words now occupies, which it will purchase as an industrial condo. The Krauths have no plans to sell the rest of the building.

As for the store's staff, which was reduced to eight booksellers in recent years, "what's great is they all have wonderful plans. They knew we were planning to transition," said Jeff Krauth, who acknowledged that the change will be hardest on customers. "But there are good independent bookstores around here."