Long Island’s Bookstores | An Interview with Mallory Braun

Mallory Braun is the owner of The Next Chapter in Huntington. I wanted to know more about the transition from Book Revue closing to opening The Next Chapter. 

Jess Mannhaupt: How did you get into the publishing industry?

Mallory Braun: Well I became a bookseller shortly after and I just stayed. 

JM: How was your experience at the Book Revue different now that you have different responsibilities?

MB: I’m problem solving more, and I’m doing a lot more buying. I’m managing a lot more moving parts. 

JM: How do you think Barnes and Noble coming in with more shops on Long Island will affect you here at The Next Chapter?

MB: Well, theres nothing really like an independent bookstore. That’s all I have to say about that. 

JM: Do you think the fundraising helped bring more attention to you guys? 

MB: Oh, for sure. We got a lot of publicity because it was a community effort.

JM: What was the hardest struggle when opening up this bookstore?

MB: Well, finding the right location that was large enough for us to have in store events; Close enough to the center of the town. And all at the right rent. It’s expensive!

JM: Do you think the rent is the most difficult thing or is it the buying the books and everything else?

MB: Just figuring out how to make a business work is new to me. Like I said there are a lot of parts, a lot of things going on at once, and figuring out how they mesh together and thinking to the future simultaneously, while making sure work gets done now. Making sure that my staff knows what’s going on and how they are able to help people in the best way they can. Obviously paying the bills is difficult. It’s hard for me to say what is the most difficult part, but all of these things wrapped together are not simple. 

JM: How do you guys deal with ordering books?

MB: Any book that somebody wants, we’ll do our best to get for them. Currently we are ordering everyday, and soon after the holidays we will be able to place out of print orders as well, so for things that are more difficult to acquire, we will start that after the holidays. 

JM: Do you think this location is more or less convenient for foot traffic? 

MB: I think this is an excellent location. It’s a five minute walk from the Book Revue, it’s basically right next to Hecksher Park, it has a parking lot, there is street parking. It’s a good spot. It’s on a main road – same road as Book Revue, I can see it from here. 

JM: Would you still be doing pop up shops?

MB: Yeah, we will be doing them in the future. Partnering with other businesses around Long Island is good for all parties, so we’re gonna keep doing that!

JM: What’s in the future for you guys?

MB: We’re gonna have lots of author signings in the future. We’re going to have events here, we’ll have music and some sort of open mic nights. We’ll have records, we’ll have more used books, more rare books – just looking to expand and grow over time.