Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicola Orichuia.
Nicola, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
There is an immigrant story behind I AM Books. I moved from Rome, Italy, to the United States in 2008. After two years in Chicago, where I started working for an Italian American magazine named Fra Noi, I moved to Boston. Soon after, I launched bostoniano.info, a website that was geared towards the Italian and Italian American communities of Greater Boston. A year and half into the project I developed the idea of launching a monthly print magazine (Bostoniano) that would reach tens of thousands of Italian Americans in our area for free.
That experience (started in Dec. 2012) led to the opening of I AM Books in Oct. 2015, alongside my business partner Jim Pinzino. Jim hails from the IT sector and has a vast experience running his own companies. He lives in Marlborough and is very attached to his Sicilian roots.
Our idea was to give the North End neighborhood — with its strong Italian identity — a bookstore and cultural hub that it could be proud of. We also wanted to offer the community at large a place where everyone could dive into the rich culture of Italy. I AM Books wants to be a vehicle for literature, art and culture by providing books, events and language courses.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
All roads in business are bumpy. That said, we had many challenges we’ve had to overcome. During our second Christmas season, we had the street in front of us blocked of for entire months, as construction work was being done on the area’s sewage and water pipe systems. Around the same period, the little square in front of us was remodeled. The pain from that period has paid off, though, as the Rachel Revere Park is now a lovely destination for locals and tourists to hang out in the summer and we get more traffic that way.
In general, trying to figure out how to be a successful business is an evolving challenge, and as a bookstore we have to constantly renew ourselves and cater to our customers’ requests while also maintaining our vision of what we want the bookstore to be and to showcase.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the I AM Books story. Tell us more about the business.
I AM Books is the country’s first Italian American bookstore. By Italian American we mean it has a focus on a culture that is in evolution. We specialize in books, with a strong component of children’s books, literature and cookbooks. We also highlight Boston history, which is a big seller with tourists who come to the Paul Revere House right across the street from us.
We are proud to be conveying culture in a time when many thought books were dying. But books are on a comeback!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Personally, I’ve been lucky to find wonderful people along the way that have helped me through every step of the way. I don’t believe in the self-made man/woman mantra. Everyone needs/asks for help. We must be humble enough to acknowledge this.
I was also lucky to find the location we are currently in and make the most of it.
Pricing:
- Books (avg. $10-$30)
- Games (avg. $15-$40)
- Events (Usually free)
Contact Info:
- Address: I AM Books
189 North Street
Boston, MA 02113 - Website: https://www.iambooksboston.com
- Phone: 857-263-7665
- Email: info@iambooksboston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambooksboston
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambooksboston/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iambooksboston
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