Bookseller Realizes She's No Bartender, Closes Shop  

By Edward Nawotka -- Publishers Weekly, 3/13/2008 7:17:00 AM

A Thirsty Mind bookstore/wine bar in Lakeway, Texas -- an affluent suburb of Austin -- is closing March 28. The store was opened in November 2004, and co-owner Pam Headrick said that  while Thirsty Mind broke even each month, it would've taken another year for the store to become profitable. "With the economy as bad as it is, we just didn't have the luxury to put more money into the business," she said. 

Headrick and co-owner Anita Mapes plan to continue selling books online under the same name. Some 50% of the booksellers’ business came from special orders, in particular religious books and New York Times bestsellers, making the online option a viable one. They also plan to continue organizing author readings for the local community.

Headrick said that opening a combination bookstore and wine bar posed unique challenges. For instance, having a license to sell wine also meant the store could not hire any employees under the age of 21. Some parents refused to bring their children into a store that sold alcohol, thus cutting off a potentially lucrative market. And then, there were the ‘regulars.’ “Some customers would come in each afternoon for a drink,” said Headrick. “This meant that almost every afternoon I was hosting a party. There days you just don't feel like it.”

Headricks plans to return to her previous job as an archeological illustrator. “Bookselling was my seventh career, and while I’m not entirely giving it up, I must say it sure has been fun.”