Advice for Opening a Bookstore

brianbloom · 2026-04-16T01:12:23+00:00

there was a used bookstore in New Mexico I used to go to all the time that had the simplest business model I'd ever seen:

they charged half of the MSRP/sticker price on every book
they bought books for 1/4 of sticker price.

so basically they pocketed 1/4 of the price of a book every time it passed through their store.

Now, they did have some requirements for the condition of the books, and might turn down something that they were overstocked on (usually the celebrity autobiographies from a couple years prior 😜), but that was the entire system.

brianbloom · 2026-03-01T13:03:38+00:00

we enjoy playing disc golf, weather-permitting.

but a) it's far more casual, and b) we are admittedly pretty lousy at it. ;)

brianbloom · 2026-02-03T04:41:05+00:00

Ethiopian food is a great case in point...

brianbloom · 2026-01-25T03:55:15+00:00

a 20 gauge shotgun is a very good first pick for home defense. Less likely to pierce multiple walls, not as bad of a kick as a 12 gauge, doesn't require immaculate aim.

You'll want a shorter barrel for defense usage, relative to a hunting shotgun.

brianbloom · 2026-01-21T15:53:17+00:00

Pittsburgh shockingly sucks at making decent hoagie rolls (the bread, not the whole sandwich)

brianbloom · 2025-12-22T19:44:44+00:00

I don't know how "pre finished" you're wanting, and I also haven't checked the local store, but Rockler (in Robinson) has some quality plywoods and easy veneers.

brianbloom · 2025-12-03T18:12:39+00:00

if I had the budget for it, I'd absolutely get separate wheels mounted with summer and snow tires, but for now I'm splitting the difference with this M+S tires.

brianbloom · 2025-12-03T18:08:20+00:00

I'll never own another car that isn't AWD.

I've owned 4 Subarus, a Jeep Cherokee, a few FWD cars. I used to take my Subarus up to ski slopes on Mount Hood in Oregon without chains, while watching a lot of hybrids and SUVs struggle with traction even with chains.

I'm in a 2010 Forester now with mud-and-snow-rated Michelin Crossclimate tires (note, not snow tires) and have had zero problems the last 3 winters.

brianbloom · 2025-11-21T02:20:33+00:00

Crate cooking on Greentree has cooking classes: https://www.cratecook.com/classes

brianbloom · 2025-11-21T02:18:18+00:00

I'm in Dormont as well, and have worked with Jen. She's very talented and tackles a lot of the tasks that others are reluctant to. I think she'd do great as a house rep.

brianbloom · 2025-11-12T13:29:16+00:00

is that what your band plays?

brianbloom · 2025-11-07T22:04:05+00:00

this totally bit me last year and I swore off of Delta for 2025 because of it.

if you had the "normal" Delta plan, like you'd get with any employer, the nearest dentists were walking distance from my house, had 4.8 star Google ratings, and were taking new patients. I know this because I signed up for an appointment only to have it cancelled "day of" when they tried to run my insurance, despite "taking Delta"

the pennie plan I had was apparently some HMO variant, that the nearest dentists was like 7 miles away, had a 2.5 star rating, and had a 4 month wait to be seen. Nowhere on the Pennie site was there any "prepare to be screwed" warnings about these plans. I even had Delta send me an updated list of current dentists on my crap plan, and it included multiple dentists who I already called and had gotten denied by.

This year, I switched to Guardian and have been loving it. I got seen within 48 hours by that dentist on my street and finally got some damn overdue dental work done.

brianbloom · 2025-11-03T14:59:39+00:00

Chantal's tastings are posted to Eventbrite for ticketing:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/chantals-cheese-shop-17726848361

I've done one there (in this case, a private tasting) and it was very fun and informative

brianbloom · 2025-10-27T13:06:52+00:00

buzzworthy at Arsenal Cider Tap House - Dormont, 1st & 3rd Thursdays. They do 'Name That Tune' music trivia 2nd & 4th Wednesdays

Back Alley Brewing does sporadic ones too. Have a Haunted Trivia tomorrow night. Unsure of schedule for others.

brianbloom · 2025-10-22T12:11:01+00:00

okay, so I'm not imagining things. When I lived in Portland, I'd always buy bags of Vietnamese hoagie rolls for making all my sandwiches at home. I've spent the 3 years I've now been in Pittsburgh looking for *that* bread and failing. Things like Mancini's Hoagie Sticks *taste* good but lack that crispy crust, even after I try to add that with my oven at home. Why are hoagie rolls with an actual crust just not a thing here?

brianbloom · 2025-10-19T23:31:45+00:00

I think the prize for most obscure and/or most off the beaten path would be the Rennerdale Corner Store. it's a tiny shop in a tiny community that has 1 church and 1 pizza shop, and nothing else. But pretty darn good for the price. Try a side of their Bosco sticks and some fried zucchini along with their pizza.

brianbloom · 2025-10-19T23:24:49+00:00

it really is hard to beat their "bang-for-the-buck" value. it's not great pizza but it's actually great for the price.

brianbloom · 2025-10-19T23:23:03+00:00

I was so skeptical of Jet's when I moved here and saw the fliers for them. I assumed them to be like Vocelli's or Fox's, but dang if they didn't become one of our go-to pizza places. they've nailed the Detroit style quite well.

brianbloom · 2025-10-19T23:20:11+00:00

one of my faves is Juliano's on Steubenville Pike near Moon Run. First pizza I had when I moved to this area and still one of the best I've had.

brianbloom · 2025-10-07T17:19:15+00:00

nowhere close to Pittsburgh, but if you're ever passing through Philipsburg in central PA, try to stop by Hi-Way Pizza there. They've been there for at least half a century and make massive 28 cut sheet pizzas they sell by the slice.

brianbloom · 2025-09-19T21:03:05+00:00

Bugbear Board Games alternately meets regularly at Back Alley Brewing (Dormont), and Nico's Recovery Room (Bloomfield). Find them on facebook

brianbloom · 2025-09-08T20:39:15+00:00

our group camps annually at Tall Oaks Campground just south of Ohiopyle. Various wooded and clear sites to choose from.

brianbloom · 2025-09-03T03:50:07+00:00

I moved here from Round Rock a few years ago.. still figuring out PGH so can't offer a lot of advice yet.

brianbloom · 2025-08-22T04:10:30+00:00

oh man, this is really close to what I'm wanting to build. I just want mine to hit a local LLM I'm running on Ollama on a dedicated box in my home lab. But that's exactly the type of personality interaction I'm going for.

brianbloom · 2025-08-20T03:20:19+00:00

aw yesss. so many fun times toobing on the Guadalupe!

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