Interview with a Bookstore: Writer’s Block Bookstore

Writer’s Block Bookstore was opened in 2014 by Lauren Zimmerman. After raising three daughters, Zimmerman found herself at a crossroads: Torn between returning to previous careers in Interior Architecture or Law, or finishing a Master’s degree in social work, she was listening to NPR one spring when an interview with Ann Patchett speaking about her Nashville bookstore, Parnassus, gave her an idea. Zimmerman had been a resident of Orlando for more than 40 years and felt it was nonsensical that the city didn’t have a full-service community bookstore—a comfortable and welcoming destination where people come bump into each other. So, she sought to fill the void, and a year later Writer’s Block was born.

What's your favorite section of the store?

Lauren Zimmerman (owner): The fiction room. It’s small and quaint, and all the walls have bookshelves to the ceiling. I brought in a goose down lounge chair from home and placed it in the center so people can sit and get a 360-degree view of the shelves.

If you had infinite space what would you add?

Lauren: More books and possibly a café, as well as a larger area for authors and events.

What do you do better than any other bookstore?

Lauren: We are told over and over again that our customers feel at home, and we work very hard creating a welcoming and peaceful space. We rarely see people looking down at their cell phones; they’re too busy looking and reading and engaging in the environment. We’re proud that, in spite of our small size, people stay in the store for a while, walk around, sit, read to their children, talk to a friend in the store sitting in chairs. And I like to think that we do well engaging with other merchants and organizations right in our little half-mile block. We have a partnership with the Winter Park Library and Rollins College English Department, with whom we produce events. We believe that it is imperative to support both of these fine organizations because we believe in the power of reading and writing and community.

Who's your favorite regular?

Lauren: We have a customer whose son is incarcerated. He is a great kid who made a bad decision and he loves to read. This customer comes in weekly, like clockwork, to buy several books for her son, and we ship them to him for her. Most of the time she brings a cake or cookies with her. She got to our hearts through our stomachs. We have become invested in her family and look forward to helping her and her son. We are told that her son is now writing and planning to donate all the books to the jail library.

Because community is at the root of my mission, some of my best customers are not big spenders. They come in regularly, walk around for a few minutes, stop to say hi and talk about whatever is going on in their life at the time and leave. It brings me such joy to greet them as old friends and to know that their purpose was just to come in and say hello.

What’s the craziest situation you’ve ever had to deal with in the store?

Lauren: I am not a political person and rarely engage in any conversation about politics. But we had an author approach us for an event who was very passionate about his political disposition and has written several bestselling books about certain politicians across the aisle. I said yes without giving it a single thought—I was thinking again, that we were a community bookstore and welcome all authors. However, the reaction to our promoting the event was shocking. As strong as the author’s opinion was about his topic, so was the opposition. His presence generated a lot of hostility towards the bookstore, and I received some Facebook hate posts. If I was presented with the same author knowing what I know now, I am not sure what I would do. I believe it is a question all bookstore owners ask themselves, about who and which topics may be politically charged when we want to balance the right to free speech and the customers we are trying to please.

If you weren’t running or working at a bookstore, what would you be doing?

Lauren: I’d be working as an attorney, a social worker in child welfare and foster care, or maybe teaching myself to relax and do nothing. (It’s my happy place dream when I get stressed out.)

What's been the biggest surprise about running a bookstore?

Lauren: Human resources, the business of retail, and the concept of “seasons.” In my prior careers, I was more isolated and didn’t have employees, or the kind of structure retail demands, or seasons when it comes to cash flow. That old saying is true: “Be careful of what you dream of, for it may come true.” I wanted a career that wasn’t isolated anymore and to have more structure. But, I didn’t know what those things felt like and had no expectations, so everything was a surprise for me!

SLIDESHOW: Writer’s Block Bookstore Staff Recommendations