Inventory, Smith Family Bookstore, Eugene, Oregon
Our question is: Did we grow to a level that’s sustainable, or are we too big for this community? Are our spaces too big? Do we carry too many books?
Smith Family, from the mid '70s when we started until now, has always been about expansion. We started as a tiny, tiny little book business. My parents bought properties and buildings that we could grow into. I think that is the brilliance of my parents: that they both understood that right away. If they wanted a business that would support our family, and be good for this community, it had to be big enough that we could all make good livings.
My father was a bit of a socialist in that respect, in that he didn’t want to build a business simply for personal gain. He wanted to build a business where the people who worked in the business also could make a living. Heath insurance—all the things he never had—he was determined to provide.
–Evon Smith
owner, Smith Family Bookstore, Eugene, OR