IT’S a business born of love — a love of books. Now, three years later, the Kingston-based Bookophilia is the place where readers, young and old, get the chance to indulge themselves, unravelling the plot of their latest story a page at a time.

“I have a passion for books and thought that book lovers really needed a place to get a great selection of books and a place to be entertained by book readings, live music, etc,” owner Andrea Dempster, 37, told Career & Education, explaining her motivation for opening the store.

“A good bookstore is almost like a community centre, you find persons of all ages and backgrounds coming together to enjoy the events and offerings and just to relax,” she added.

Dempster — with the help of her six team members, including manager Ruth Chisholm — has gone about doing exactly that in line with the company’s mission statement: “To promote love for literature and the arts by providing access to a wide selection of content in a comfortable, social space; all delivered by an innovative, happy and motivated team that provides exceptional service.”

As such, the offerings at Bookophilia, which is open seven days a week, are:

* a children’s story-time session every Saturday at 11:00 am;

* corporate book ordering;

* free WiFi and comfortable seating; and

* a café serving Country Traders Blue Mountain Coffee.

They also buy and sell used books, Amazon Kindles (E-readers) and host a variety of events.

“For example, this month we have a book club meeting, children’s story-time, an album launch, live jazz music, and a theatre production,” Dempster said.

Bookophilia customers can get their hands on a book for as little as $50.

“Thanks to our used book ‘buy back’ programme, you can get great books from $50 upwards and, of course, all of our events are free to the public.

“We also try to sell our books at the (original) price on the back (converted to Jamaican dollars) or less,” Dempster told Career & Education.

She would not disclose the cost of the store’s start-up operations, but noted that it had not been “too painful” to open the business.

“I had help from a number of persons, including my friends and family, and (with) the planning. Thanks to them, the start-up was actually a fun experience,” Dempster said, adding that the fact of her parents being entrepreneurs had helped to propel her on her way.

At the same time, she said that Bookophilia’s offerings are based on the model of the US-based Barnes and Noble, the chain of book superstores renowned for its vast selection of books, spacious and comfortable atmosphere, as well as knowledgeable staff.

However, some of the offerings at Bookophilia sprang up almost on their own, according to Dempster.

“Some of the services just evolved, like the Kindles and corporate book ordering. Lots of top companies and public sector agencies in Jamaica are ordering books as gifts for their clients and to train their management teams. We deliver great discounts for bulk orders and now this area is really growing,” said Dempster, who is also currently the operations manager at Digicel Jamaica.

Getting to where they are now has, however, not been all smooth sailing.

“Finding the right persons to be a part of the team that can deliver that personalised, caring customer service (has been a challenge). We want the Bookophilia guest experience to be exceptional every single time, so our team has to be knowledgeable about books, care about people, and be dedicated to meeting the needs of each guest,” she said.

Dempster added that the rising cost of doing business in Jamaican is one of the hurdles they continue to face.

“Energy costs are crippling for small businesses and this is something that must be addressed if we are serious about developing the SME (small and medium-size) sector to (enable it to) flourish,” she said.

To help overcome the challenges, the company invests considerable energies into its marketing efforts.

“It is important to be everywhere that your guests are, so we use a variety of methods, from traditional print media, radio and outdoor signage to social media marketing through Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Tump. For the ‘tweeps’ out there, our handle is @bookophilia,” said Dempster, the holder of a first degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech, a certificate in French business and economic language from the Universite de Toulon and a master’s in structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

“Word of mouth and loyalty are also key elements. We have customers who have been with us from the beginning and we know them by name. We offer a loyalty card with discounts for our members so when you sign up at the store, you can save on all your purchases,” she added.

Quizzed as to what’s next on the agenda for Bookophilia, Dempster said simply “growth”.

“We want to make sure that as many people as possible can share in the Bookophilia experience,” added the mother of one child, whose last job, prior to her employment with Digicel, was that of assistant vice-president of strategic planning and corporate development at GraceKennedy.

Looking back, she says she has no regrets.

“I believe every experience is just an opportunity to learn something new,” Dempster said.

Dempster’s tips for prospective entrepreneurs

* Love what you do. Make sure the business itself is something that you are passionate about.

* Build a team that is also passionate about your product/service and make sure that you empower them. Your team represents your business and your brand, so they must feel that same excitement about your product that you feel.

* Love your customers and make sure that they are at the centre of everything that you do. Even the smallest issue should be analysed from the perspective of the customer. It’s not really your business, it’s their business. Keep them happy and you’re on the right track.

* Ensure that you have a great support system, both personal and professional. Things will not always be smooth and that is when you will really know the value of friends, family and business advisors.

* Try and design your business so that in the long term, it works well without you personally being there. If you have to be there 24/7 for it to work, then you have created another “job” for yourself. Building wealth means you have to have enough time to engage in different endeavours. When you can step aside and the business maintains focus, then you have created a “business”.