Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Mayersohn.
Jeffrey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I studied physics in college and graduate school but very quickly got involved in the development of the Internet, starting in about 1978. I worked at the Cambridge-based research and Development Company, Bolt Beranek and Newman, which was a pioneer in modern communications technologies. After spending 20 years at BBN, I joined a startup, Sonus Networks, which produced products for internet telephony. But my passion has always been books and my dream was to own a bookstore. Around the time I was retiring from my technology career, I went to bookstore school. (Yes, there is such a thing.) A little while later, my wife and I bought Harvard Book Store.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Business is never a completely smooth road, but I’d have to say that my entry into the book business was particularly rocky. We entered the industry in 2008 as the economy was collapsing; online booksellers were seriously affecting sales at brick-and-mortar stores; and digital reading was beginning to emerge. In our first year, sales were much lower than they had been at their peak a few years before. I’m pleased to say that Indies have rebounded since then and our sales are the highest they’ve been in 10 years. At the same time, there are many challenges ahead as real estate and labor costs continue to outpace sales increases.
Harvard Book Store – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our store occupies 5500 square feet of retail space on Mass Ave in Cambridge, right across the street from Harvard Yard. Although our name is Harvard Book Store, we have no formal affiliation with the university. Unlike most bookstores near colleges, we sell very few non-book items. We carry a broad selection of new and used books, with perhaps more of a focus on academic titles than the typical indie. We pride ourselves on having a staff of avid readers committed to customer service.
Our store is increasingly known for its author talk series. We sponsor or are involved in more than 400 author talks a year. Many of these are large events with renowned writers and celebrities; in the past few weeks, we’ve hosted Senators Warren and Sanders, Sheryl Sandberg, Noam Chomsky, Dennis Lehane, and Richard Russo, but we also, have numerous talks with much less famous authors, including debut writers.
In addition, we are the only local store with an Espresso Book Machine, which produces paperback books in a few minutes. We use our machine to support self-published authors and scholars wishing to print rare works in the public domain.
We also have a warehouse in Somerville that we open twice a year to the public. Our warehouse sale has become a “happening” with thousands of customers seeking great bargains on books on a weekend in December and June.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m not sure about a proud moment. What I love is working a regular floor shift on Saturdays and helping customers find a book to read. Every now and then, someone will come and tell me how much they enjoyed a book that I recommended. For a bookseller, that is a very proud moment.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
- Website: www.harvard.com
- Phone: 617-661-1515
- Email: info@harvard.com
- Facebook: harvardbookstore
- Twitter: @harvardbooks
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