August 19, 2003
Ruminator mulls comeback, despite onslaught from chains
Terry Fiedler, Star Tribune
David Unowsky is adamant that a new chapter, and in no way the final chapter, is being written at his Ruminator Books, one of the Twin Cities' last full-line independent bookstores.
Ruminator, a St. Paul landmark, has been battling financial problems this summer that has led it to noticeably reduce its inventory.
While acknowledging the problems, owner Unowsky said Monday that new financing should be in place within six weeks that will allow the full restocking of the store and a makeover that would add more space for events and a coffee service.
He declined to be more specific about the source or structure of the financing. Unowsky said the store has been losing money recently, but he wouldn't say how much or how long the store has been in the red.
He blamed increased competition and the loss he took on a recently closed store at the Minneapolis' Open Book literary center as contributing factors to the cash crunch.
Competitive pressure from the chain stores has taken a heavy toll on independent bookstores, particularly those that kept a wide range of books instead of focusing on a niche clientele. Well-regarded stores such as Odegard's Books in St. Paul and Baxter's Books in downtown Minneapolis have gone out of business in recent years.
Ruminator is among a select group, including Micawber's in St. Paul, of long-established, full-line independents still slugging it out with the chains.
The 33-year-old store, formerly known as Hungry Mind Books, has had to contend with a Barnes & Noble moving into the Highland area of St. Paul and a Borders in the nearby Midway shopping center in recent years. A Bound to Be Read store backed by the money of the billionaire Hubbard broadcasting family also is nearby.
Add Amazon.com to the equation and it's a crowded field at a time when demand for books has basically stayed flat.
"You have the same pie and more people, plus the Internet," Unowsky said.
His answer to the difficult situation is to make the store more focused on areas such as fiction, its traditional strength, and politics, supporting those topics with more special events. Ruminator already is well-known for its author appearances.
Unowsky said the store has eliminated entire categories, such as computer books, because they didn't generate enough sales. Ruminator also is planning a new marketing campaign that will begin in the next couple of months and emphasize the store's ties to the community.
The updated version of the store also will have a smaller staff than in the recent past. Unowsky said that in the last two years his payroll has shrunk from 27 mainly full-time employees to 14.
Ruminator has one key advantage: It serves as Macalester College's bookstore.
But as part of Ruminator's makeover, textbook sales that used to occur within the store will be handled from a campus building for the fall semester.
Unowsky said that will both improve service to students and free space in the store for other purposes, such as events. (Macalester also happens to be Unowsky's landlord.)
Macalester spokesman Doug Stone said the university "has a long-standing relationship" with Unowsky "and hopes to maintain that."
Terry Fiedler is at tfiedler@startribune.com.
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