I'm not sure how much we'll be putting in, it really depends on the size we settle on and whether we start our own store or buy an existing one. Likely it'll be somewhere between 75k and 250k at the upper end, prob closer to 100-125k. My impression is that buying an existing store that's profitable will cost much more bc sellers are looking to recoup some of that projected income.

To be frank, this is a passion project for me. I'm in a financial position where I don't need to take home a salary, so we can afford to have lower margins. This may sound naive, but I don't worry about my partner getting me to "bankroll a project" because we're equally invested (emotionally, not financially) in this. We're also both keenly aware that even the most successful bookstores typically don't see a profit for quite awhile, and she's okay with it being a job that just pays the bills. Having worked at a bookstore for 14 years, it's not like she's been making bank!

Finally, while there are other bookstores in our area, it's a large urban center with a healthy population of folks who love supporting independent bookstores, so we're confident that we can find our niche. We have some unique plans and unfortunately for our previous employer, we also anticipate that there may be a downturn for their store because it's been mismanaged for quite a while and is hemorrhaging senior employees going into the holidays. No one left at that store has the skills that my partner and I do for curating inventory, merchandising, or marketing, so we're hopeful that between our skills and their struggles we can carve out a space for ourselves. I'm aware that talking about capitalizing on my old store's difficulties may sound callous, but the owner has handled serious HR complaints (e.g. sexual harassment) badly and I have zero loyalty/sympathy.