WORLD EYE BOOKSTORE HAS BEEN A LANDMARK IN GREENFIELD CENTER
FOR OVER FOUR DECADES.
CURRENT OWNER JESSICA MULLINS IS COMMITTED TO RUNNING THE SHOP AS
A COMMUNITY CENTER.
SHE SHARED HER PASSION FOR THAT IDEA DURING A RECENT VICTIM WITH
MARLA ZIPPAY AND VIDEOGRAPHER MARK LANGVIN.
>> HI, PAT, THIS IS JESSICA FROM WORLD EYE.
>> I REALLY LIKE THE RETAIL.
I REALLY LIKE THE COMMUNITY.
I'M FROM GREENFIELD.
I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE WAY THE STORE WAS RUN.
WE TRY AND RUN IT NOT JUST AS AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BUT AS A
COMMUNITY PLACE SO THE CUSTOMERS ARE FRIENDS.
WE HAVE WATCHED PEOPLE GROW UP.
WE HAVE SEEN DIFFERENT GENERATIONS COME THROUGH.
I THINK I KEPT GETTING DRAWN BACK TO THAT.
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER MY MOM WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE FIRST
EMPLOYEES OF WORLD EYE, SO I GREW UP WITH THE STORE.
THEN WENT OFF TO COLLEGE, DID OTHER THINGS, CAME BACK TO THE
STORE AGAIN, WORKED FOR THE STORE FOR A WHILE.
AND THEN I HAD MY DAUGHTER AND AT THE SAME TIME I WAS DECIDING
WHAT TO GO BACK TO WORK AND DO, THE PREVIOUS OWNER WANTED A
MANAGER.
HIRED ME AS THE MANAGER, AND IMMEDIATELY WE STARTED TALKING
THAT SHE WAS READY TO RETIRE AND WE KIND OF WENT FROM THERE.
OH, YEAH.
IT'S SPECIAL.
WE REALLY FOCUS ON AMAZING SELECTION OF THINGS THAT YOU
CAN'T FIND IN THE BIG STORES.
SO WE ORDER FROM THE SMALL PUBLISHERS, FROM THE REPS THAT
COME IN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF LOCAL AUTHORS.
WE ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND HAVE EITHER A LOCAL AUTHOR SIGNING OR
SOMETHING GOING ON THAT REPRESENTS THE FLAVOR OF WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS AND WE HAVE MIXED IN A LOT OF OTHER PRODUCTS TO
HONESTLY BOOST SALES AND TO KEEP THE BOOKSTORE PART OF IT GOING.
BUT IT SEEMS TO BE THE RIGHT MIX FOR PEOPLE.
SOME OF THE CHALLENGES -- IT'S MORE ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE IN THE
STORE.
IT'S LESS THAT SOMEBODY IS DOWNLOADING AN EBOOK, MORE THAT
THEY ARE SITTING AT THEIR COMPUTER NOT GETTING OUT INTO
THE WORLD.
WE LAST MAY HAD A REAL FINANCIAL CRUNCH AND WE PUT OUT TO THE
COMMUNITY THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO CLOSE, AND THE OUTPOUR WAS
AMAZING.
JUST ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
WE DIDN'T ASK FOR DONATIONS, WE ASKED PEOPLE TO COME SHOP AND
HELP US GET DOWN OUR INVENTORY, SAY, YEAH, WE WANT YOU TO BE
HERE.
THE BIGGEST THING WAS PEOPLE WERE COMING OUT AND THEY WERE
RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER AND THEY WERE SAYING, OH, MY GOD, I
HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN TWO YEARS.
I KNOW I SAW YOU ON FACEBOOK AND YOUR KIDS ARE DOING WELL, BUT
HOW ARE YOU?
THEN THEY WERE LIKE, LET'S GO TO MESA VERDE AND GET MEXICAN FOOD.
LET'S GO TO GREENFIELD COFFEE AND GET SOME COFFEE.
WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO SAY IS NOT JUST YOU HAVE TO SHOP WITH
US BUT YOU HAVE TO COME OUT AND BE PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU HAVE TO COME DOWNTOWN.
I THINK NOT JUST BOOKSTORES, ALL INDEPENDENT STORES.
I THINK IT ADDS FLAVOR.
IT ADDS VARIETY.
IT ADDS CHOICE.
IF YOU ONLY ORDER THE TOP TEN THINGS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED
ONLINE THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE ONLY THINGS AVAILABLE.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THAT BUT I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY
GETS IT YET.
THAT IT REALLY IS NARROWING CHOICES.
YOU CAN SAVE A DOLLAR HERE AND A DOLLAR THERE, BUT IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT A DOLLAR.
IT'S ABOUT ALL OF MY EMPLOYEES ARE PRETTY ALCOHOL.
WE SHOP LOCAL FOR OUR SUPPLIES.
WE TRY TO USE LOCAL CLEANERS AND LOCAL PAPER PRODUCTS AND THINGS
LIKE THAT.
WE DONATE TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE DONATE FOR RAFFLES AND EACH OF THE INDEPENDENCE STORES THAT
DO THAT ADD FLAVOR AND VARIETY AND CHOICE.
>> ONE OF THE BEST THINGS IS THAT IT ALLOWS MY SCHEDULE TO
WORK WITH MY KIDS.
WITH AN AMAZING STAFF LIKE WE ALL COVER EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE NOW A LONG TIME.
WE ALL CAN PRETTY MUCH HANDLE EVERYTHING.
I THINK THE SCHEDULE PART OF THAT IS THE BEST THING FOR MY
LIFE RIGHT NOW.
SOME OF THE FUNNEST THINGS IS JUST HAVING SOME OF THE AUTHOR
EVENTS, HAVING A REALLY GOOD DAY, YOU KNOW, WITH ALL THE
CUSTOMER SERVICE GOING RIGHT AT THE END OF THE DAY, HAVING THE
DRAWER EVEN OUT.
SOMETIMES THAT'S JUST FUN FOR ME.
I REALLY LIKE RETAIL.
I LIKE THE INTERACTIONS WITH THE CUSTOMERS.
I LIKE HAVING A CUSTOMER THAT HAS COME IN THAT'S BEEN A
CUSTOMER FOR A LONG TIME TELL US SOMETHING REALLY WONDERFUL
HAPPENED.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS.