A Novel Idea in East Passyunk saved by neighbors - but will it last?

Christina Rosso-Schneider and her husband, Alex, had been struggling for months to keep their East Passyunk bookstore, A Novel Idea, afloat.

The enthusiasm for small businesses that buoyed their shop through the pandemic had dried up, and by this summer, they were in debt to publishers. They laid off staff and cut hours. They had no money to purchase more books.

Down to their last option, they asked customers to help.

They never expected to meet the $10,000 goal of the GoFundMe campaign they started July 7. But donations surged past that total in three hours, reaching nearly $25,000 overall.

“We’ve been crying for days,” Rosso-Schneider said. “Our shelves are pretty empty at the moment, because all weekend the shop was full.

“We’ve had people calling, emailing, messaging, from all over the country,” Rosso-Schneider. “People have really shown up, whether they’re here in this neighborhood or they just care about bookstores.”

The outpouring means new life for a bookshop that quickly established itself as a staple of the East Passyunk neighborhood and area literary scene after opening in 2018.

The small storefront, on East Passyunk Avenue below Morris Street, is known as a supportive hub for Philly authors, artisans, educators, and book lovers.

The couple will use the donations to sign a year-to-year lease with their landlord, who offered to not raise rent. They’re placing new orders and now have breathing room to invest in independent books and smaller presses.

It’s a welcome reprieve in a city that has seen its share of painful bookstore closings in recent years, even as others continue to stay on the map.

Still, the sudden show of support for the slumping shop shows that while people may love cool, quirky, independent bookstores in their neighborhood, they may not actually buy a lot books there.

Rosso-Schneider, a novelist, and Schneider, a graphic designer, opened A Novel Idea six weeks after getting married.

They saw the venture as a way to blend her passion for books and publishing with his merchandising and branding experience. More than anything, they wanted to show local literary pride.

“Philly has such an incredible literary scene,” said Rosso-Schneider. “I wanted a space where local writers would be featured even if they weren’t on the New York Times best-sellers list.”

They stayed true to their mission. In five years, A Novel Idea has hosted more than 800 events.

“We’ve had readings, signings, book clubs,” said Schneider. “We’ve held an original play in this space. We’ve had live music. We even had two weddings that were fully catered. If it’s an interesting idea, we say yes to it.”

Philly-based author and deaf-rights activist Sara Novic was on the way to her book launch at A Novel Idea in 2022 when she learned that her novel True Biz had become a New York Times best seller.

The shop stepped up to host a reading when a more established venue would not agree to a mask policy, Novic said.

“A Novel Idea took it at the last minute to make it a safe night for disabled people to celebrate a disability-centric novel,” Novic said. “They really open their hearts to the community, and on a strip of the Avenue that sees a lot of turnover.”

Stephanie Feldman, a Philly native and most recently author of the novel Saturnalia agreed. “A Novel Idea is an essential part of the Philly literary community. … Every event feels like a reunion,” Feldman said.

Rosso-Schneider and Schneider were still building a business base when the pandemic hit. They didn’t qualify for most PPP grants, they said, since they weren’t yet paying themselves.

They were on the brink of closing in 2020 when they finally secured a modest grant.

Mirroring national book-buying trends, the store thrived as the pandemic eased and more shoppers bought local.

They briefly considered opening a second location. But sales plummeted as many book buyers returned to old routines and the ease of Amazon deliveries.

This time, they’re hoping that all the new faces will stick around.

“The hope is that we’ll still be here in August 2024,” said Rosso-Schneider.