Bookseller Breathes New Life Into Baltimore

While sitting in Los Angeles' Bodhi Tree Bookstore, it dawned on Susan Weis (it hit her "like a stack of books!") that Baltimore also needed a bookstore for the mind, body, and spirit -- a place "where like-minded people could gather for discussions and meetings in a space rich with literature and gifts, and for those new to their spiritual journey," she said. To learn the book business, Weis attended the Bookseller School presented by Paz & Associates in conjunction with ABA at BookExpoAmerica this past spring.

In October, Weis opened Breathe Books in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore. The bookstore had a strong start out of the gate with a smart cross-promotional strategy. The store's opening day coincided with that of the movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? -- a film that draws on theories discussed in The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto (Beyond Words). Weis brought boxes of the title, set up a table at the theater, and sold 60 copies. She did that every day until the run ended and sold 350 books and won the publisher's attention and a visit by author Emoto in May.

Weis chose the name Breathe, because, she said, "I eat, sleep, and breathe books; yoga and meditation are based on the breath -- it seems like the natural name for such a bookstore."

Breathe Books of Baltimore, Maryland

Weis spent two years of planning and over $100,000 in renovations, fixtures, a computer system, and inventory to open the bookstore that she envisioned. "I wanted to do it right. I didn't want to have to play catch up later, and I'm so glad I did."

The 700-square-foot store is located on the first floor of a Victorian house with a wraparound purple porch. Inside the main room, painted in golden hues, fixtures are arranged according to feng shui principles. "There's an energetic calm," said Weis. The store stocks dozens of categories, including Aging, Angels, Humor, I Ching, and Sufism.

Next to the bookstore is a mural-covered renovated garage called the "breathing space," built to house Breathe Books' events. Weis regularly rents out the space for group discussions, readings, workshops, meditation, concerts, and body-movement classes. When not in use, it's available for mediation.

The Hampden neighborhood suits the niche store well, said Weis. "We're on a street called 'The Avenue.' It's all independent stores, funky antique stores, galleries, bookstores. It's fabulous, the perfect location." Residents immediately adopted the bookstore and showed "overwhelming and reassuring" support. Weis said, "Customers come in with lists they print out from Amazon and say, 'I'd rather get this from an independent bookstore.' I almost get tears in my eyes."

Along with the 1,500 titles, Breathe stocks gifts and other sidelines to fit a "philosophy of health, healing, and peace." Among the store's bestsellers are the translucent Capis shell lotus leaf candleholders (see photo at left) from www.thebluetrumpet.com, which tie in with the lotus leaf logo of Breathe Books. Another hot seller is Book Sense gift cards. Weis found that she could accept the $20 monthly fee since the cards sell so well. For the holidays, a nearby Waldorf school bought one for every teacher, and now that the holidays are over, Weis has found that customers continue to come in to purchase the cards.

Working long hours at least six days a week has left Weis exhausted, but also excited about what she has created. "I've had amazing support from the community," she said. "I knew in my heart and soul that Baltimore needed Breathe. I didn't let any doubt creep into my mind, and it's been really wonderful. I wanted to create the kind of new-age store that Baltimore had in the '70s and '80s. There are many yoga studios, but there weren't any serious new-age bookstores. It was sorely missing. But now customers come in all the time to tell me, 'Thank you so much.'" --Karen Schechner