Georgia Day owns Rainy Faye Bookstore downtown. She enriched downtown Bridgeport with a bookstore many years ago when there was no bookstore. She says the city needs to emphasize a buy local campaign and has circulated a letter to the editor to media outlets to drive home the point with praise of Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster. Full disclosure, Georgia sells my books. Her letter:
Buy Local! Save the Bookstore!
As the owner of Bridgeport’s only Minority Owned Business bookstore located downtown, in the Read’s Artspace Building, I was impressed by the ‘Buy Local’ platform of Mary-Jane Foster, candidate for Mayor.
Here is why. I have been trying for five years to become an authorized school book vendor with the City’s Board of Education. All my paperwork and other requirements have been satisfied.
Last month, it took the courageous efforts of a parent of a Bridgeport School student to challenge the Board of Education into finally designating my business as an authorized vendor. At a BOE meeting this parent was told that if everything was in order, it only took the Superintendent’s ok. The Superintendent was present at this meeting and he stated I would be authorized to be put on the list as a vendor. Now that I am an authorized vendor on the Board of Education list, I’m hopeful that school principals and departments heads will consider “buying local” and purchase books from Rainy Faye Bookstore. I can order large quantities, at competitive prices, and delivery within 24 hours.
The City government and regional businesses should look to local Bridgeport based businesses and give us a chance to submit a competitive bid. That is truly what ‘Buy Local’ means to me.
I just want the opportunity to submit a competitive bid.
I thank Mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster for making “Buy Local” a campaign priority.
Georgia F. Day
Owner, Rainy Faye Bookstore
1042 Broad Street, Suite 130
Bridgeport, CT. 06604
A local author she may consider is Charlie Brilvitch. His book is about the history of Bridgeport.
You hang in there in a town where reading is not a high priority. I read. I buy books from you.
But I think, when it comes to purchasing our text books and other reading material, we could get a much better deal direct form the publishers or their distributors.
It would be wrong to add your unnecessary costs to the distribution chain.
“I’m hopeful that school principals and departments heads will consider “buying local” and purchase books from Rainy Faye Bookstore. I can order large quantities, at competitive prices, and delivery within 24 hours.”
… and exactly why would B’port schools not consider buying local? Publishers and their distributors have no costs?
I’m with you: never buy local, I would rather kill business in B’port even if it is price competitive. What was MJ thinking when she established the buy-local program for the Bluefish???
yahfooey–you are right on target, but perhaps you could move and campaign to sink some other municipality’s local business community … please?
The truth hurts. If we add a local bookstore to the distribution chain the total cost will be increased so she can make a reasonable profit.
We need to cut BOE expense, not add to it.
Your comments are thoughtless and unfair.
You know damn well Rainy Faye, a quaint local book store, will have to buy from the lowest level of distributor who has the highest cost basis on the food chain then add her 2 cents for her trouble.
Rainey Faye cannot be competitive with any distributor or wholesaler because the distributor and wholesale can sell direct to the BOE. Why put her in the mix? To “Buy Local?” I don’t think that is what MJF had in mind. At least I hope not.
Georgia is a genuine urban retail alternative, and her store is for real. She has survived for seven years downtown but needs help. If you have not stopped in to browse her selection or to one of her reading sessions, discussions of jazz, or other cultural and historical subjects, you have missed out. Informed, diverse and enthusiasm are the people, and the opinions and positions, and the experience is welcome and inexpensive.
Rainy Faye is a taxpayer and a private business. I’m all for downtown or neighborhood entrepreneurs who risk their time, their money and their reputation to offer the public a service or product that would otherwise not be present.
So BEACON2, because you like Georgia you think we should pay more for one of the biggest expenses in the BOE budget?
Georgia. Please don’t try to tell me you can sell textbooks to the BOE at a rate equal to or less than the lowest level wholesaler or distributor.
That’s the type of crap Testa has been orchestrating for years. If MJF supports Rainy Faye supplying our texts, I want to know why.
We’ll buy local if the price is right.
I am really in the middle of a huge shit storm for “suggesting” Rainey Faye cannot be competitive against wholesale pricing from distributors regarding providing text books to our BOE. She can’t. She never will be able to be competitive. She is too far down the food chain to even remotely come close to wholesale pricing practices. But to some of you Wonks who frequent her quaint little shop, you think it is worth paying more than we have to just so we can BUY LOCAL. That’s beyond my tolerance. I realize I will not be popular at my dinner table, but that’s how it is; not how I feel.
My wife and I were at the store a few weeks ago. She prefers the foofy trendy stuff while I buy mystery novels. I bought the Stuart Woods latest “Beverly Hills Dead” for $25 or so. I usually buy at COSTCO or BJ’s for $14.99.
Tell me again about this concept of Pay through the Nose but Buy Local stuff.
I also own a Kindle … same book … $12.99.
I know … no ambiance at COSTCO.
SORRY. The book I referred to and bought at Rainey Fay for $25 or so but could have bought at COSTCO for $14.99 was “Bel-Air Dead” not “Beverly Hills Dead.” I bought “Beverly Hills Dead” at COSTCO three years ago for $14.99.
Scusi.
Of course!!! If Rainey Faye’s bid is equal to or lower than the lowest other bids, I would insist she get the contract.
That went without saying. ALL RIGHT!!!
I won’t hold my breath.
yahooy–shut the fuck up–70% of this article is from you! You may find you are entertaining but the rest of us find you annoying.
Ronin,
Do you know what they sell in a bookstore?
75%
yahooy,
You find yourself on the horns of a dilemma. A shop owner has offered to sell books to any City area that needs them at a “competitive” expense. You then proceed to share your experience, knowledge, opinionated negative statements (even about your spouse’s foofy tastes).
As far as I am concerned AND AS YOU HAVE COME AROUND TO, if she is not competitive, next case.
However something else is going on in your posting today and I am not sure even you can put your finger on it.
So your advice to retailers in downtown Bridgeport is … close down if you can’t sell the same thing as the BIG BOX store or a failed Borders, etc. And with a tax disadvantage to the suburbs, your future advice is?
I have operated my own business, service not retail, for decades. I know “faster, bigger, cheaper, better” are marks of global economies. I also find people going to places where they and their likes and dislikes are known. Where their expertise and experience may assist in finding savings. I like Georgia, it is true, and I respect her courage and dedication to Bridgeport to attempt to carve out a retail “success story” in Bridgeport.
Let’s get all the detective story readers and have a monthly discussion group at the store? Local? Easy? Encouraged by Georgia … you bet.
I wouldn’t mind paying a premium to support a local bookstore that hosted a discussion group. There is value in that extra cost. I actually drove up to a bookstore in Washington Depot last fall. I paid full list price for a mystery because the author was having a signing there.
Georgia has to recognize the advent of e-books and electronic reading devices is going to have a detrimental effect on her business. She must sit back and use her best business acumen to decide how she is going to meet that forthcoming challenge in a way that will attract customers and sustain her business. e-videos and On Demand and Xfinity and Netflix all are responsible for the demise of the local video shoppes. Was it our job to not take advantage of advancing technology just so Blockbuster could stay open on Main Street?
B2
Reality is wicked.
We just endured one of the most difficult heatwaves in a very long time. How many of us rushed out to Marsilio’s corner appliance shop for ACs? I know … Marsilio doesn’t have a store in Bridgeport anymore, but I can’t think of any other similar shops because I buy my appliances where I can get the highest quality for the best price.
Here’s an example of my philosophy in that regard. I recently renovated my wife’s kitchen. We (she) wanted to go with a Quartz counter top rather than Granite. It was a little more expensive but not enough to take a stand in a battle I had no hope of winning anyway. We shopped all of the kitchen and stone businesses locally. We got a price from a well known Bridgeport kitchen and counter shop. I thought the price was reasonable. We then went to Lowes. I got the same product for 20% less in total cost which included installation. Naturally we went with Lowes. I know you are about to say … “but you could have developed a relationship with the local shop which would have ensured you would receive proper service and be able to call whenever there was a problem.” Granted. Guess who Lowes hired to make the countertop and install it?
What does BUY LOCAL mean? Does it mean we must pay a lot more for a product just to support a local merchant? Is that fair when most of us count every penny? Or do we have a responsibility to our families to provide as much as our budgets allow? To accomplish that we must be wise in our spending and always seek the greatest value.
I think what MJF means about buy local is let’s look at local suppliers for everything we do. If these local suppliers want the work they have to sharpen their pencils just like we all do. If Georgia can come up with the best price she should get the work, location notwithstanding. We only have so many dollars to spend at the BOE. We must get the highest value for every expenditure we can.
MJF is promising me that Business as Usual is over. There will be no more goombah no-bid contracts for anything. The BOE is the highest consumer of goods and services in our budget. It would be outrageous if we did not control cost.
I would very much like to see every product we buy purchased from a local business. Can you imagine the effect that would have on our local economy? Not only jobs but a complete remediation of our tarnished pay-to-play image.
Fair Warning Local Vendors!!! Sharpen your pencils or don’t bother bidding. There’s a new sheriff in town (not Joel) and she’s going to make sure our finances are in order.
yahooy,
What has given you the notion Georgia wants a handout or a layup contract at a non-competitive cost to the City?
What I have heard Georgia say is that she gets her name on the vendor list and then never hears anything else about what, how much, etc. is being ordered, I am not a minority business owner, but I listen to the process, I see the Mayor refer to minority business assistance, I recognize the identity of a responsible female City employee yet Rainy Fay’s located in downtown Bridgeport as a minority small business gets one contact in the past 6-7 years? Strange? Maybe even hypocritical.
And yes yahooy. Save the gas. I bought two of Gilmore’s latest but never got to visit with him. But other authors have talked and it is good. It is Bridgeport and we can all learn. About lots of things. And value and competitive are part of low-priced items. I mean, this is the web site where we read about the potential for our Mayor or others to be doubly reimbursed? Or City Council members one year ago taking advantage of personal and guest passes for the Vibes? And we are talking about an urban pioneer, in her retirement years, opening a business (that provides books to young and old) that is one of a kind in the City and pays City taxes (that’s another story), so why isn’t the City pursuing her success as a business and a story? (There was some assistance for Georgia in rectifying tax assessor report confusion before it did serious harm, but that is reactive government, rather than proactive government, when the City is proclaiming that stance for small minority owned businesses!)
B2
Sorry for not responding to your questions quicker. I generally fall asleep 1/3 of the way through interminable tomes.
I agree with everything you say. I never suggested she was looking for whatever you think I think she is looking for. I am and remain astonished the owner of a bookstore could expect to be competitive on a textbook and reading material for a BOE the size of Bridgeport’s. That’s all. If there are other educational products she can provide, I would hope her prices are competitive enough so she would be awarded a purchase order or two. I am adamant, however, that no vendor should get special consideration only because they are local.
As a female, she is classified as a minority business owner. I, too, have a minority business classification due to my veteran’s status resulting from wounds I received in Viet Nam. Such status does not grant us special circumstance. Hardly. What is does is put us on the preferred vendors list for many business and governmental entities that subscribe to diversity purchasing programs. I have never gotten a contract of any size because I am a veteran. I get contracts only because I can deliver high quality services at highly competitive rates.
I apologize to Georgia for my comments if certain people misconstrued my intent and formulated their own opinion of what they think I think.
In summary, if she has something to sell the city needs then she should be give a fair opportunity to offer it at a competitive price. PERIOD.
I’m done. I’m getting from home and from the blog. Woods has another book coming out in a a few weeks. I’ll buy it from her. Yes dear … happily. Now maybe I can get supper.
Ganim used to have a “Buy Local” policy. Remember Kasper?