After working in the book business for several years in San Francisco, Carl Ashford and Amanda Lynch decided to start a business of their own 1,668 miles away in Omaha, NE.
It started when Ashford decided to move back to his hometown, Omaha, for family-related reasons. When he and Lynch were offered some property downtown, they decided to go for it. Ashford said that at the very beginning he was skeptical the business would last.
“Oh this will be fine for a year or two,” he said were his thoughts back in 1993, “and here we are thirty years later.” 2023 will mark the thirty year anniversary of Jackson Street Booksellers.
Inside the store, the first thing visitors can see is an ocean of books. Tall bookshelves packed with spines of all different colors and sizes, any and every genre ranging from Native American culture to art history. There are stacks of books on the floor that have accumulated when the shelves grew too full. Each genre is sectioned off and labeled by a little cream colored sign with dark brown lettering. There are lamps placed in different parts of the store to provide a warm and cozy lighting. Over the past thirty years, the store has expanded twice, giving it even more room to expand the enormous book collection.
Ashford and Lynch didn’t just expand the physical layout of the store, but they also decided to bring the store online about fifteen years ago. Ashford said that most of what has helped the store’s success, especially over the last few years, is their online store option.
Today, Jackson Street Booksellers’ staff consists of around four to five people. Someone to help run the online store: receiving orders, looking for the requested books, and packaging them. Another person works on straightening the shelves or organizing any books that have been misplaced. Ashford’s job, aside from running the store and occasionally handling purchases inside the store, is the book search.
Ashford said one of his favorite parts about owning this store is searching for new books. In a world of books, it’s very exciting to find a particularly rare or interesting one. Anytime he is out of town, or someone is getting rid of a big collection, Ashford loves the process of looking for and purchasing interesting books that he can put in the store. Even one look into the shop can exemplify the unique and diverse collection Ashford and Lynch have grown over the years.
There are several other enjoyable qualities of owning Jackson Street Booksellers. Ashford said he also very much enjoys the flow of people that come into the store.
“I like being here because you get to meet people who are usually in a good frame of mind. You know, they’re trying to figure something out. I think you get to see mostly the better part of people.”
Jackson Street Booksellers attracts a very diverse group of people, including young & old, students, travelers, families, couples, and many others. If Ashford had to recommend a book to a customer, he said there’s a couple he typically leans toward.
“I would usually recommend, if someone’s looking for a good novel, Light in August by William Faulkner. Or All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.”
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