Will Schofield wrote about obscure literature on his blog, 50 Watts, for more than a decade before he launched an online bookstore, which he called 50 Watts Books, in the spring of 2021.
Earlier this year, he took another step, opening a physical location for 50 Watts Books in Chestnut Hill near a flower shop, multiple boutiques, and a few pubs.
The idea of a physical shop came to him when he saw people interact with flipbooks he was selling at the Brooklyn Book Festival in October 2023.
He jokes now that election anxiety pushed him to pursue the evolution of this project.
“I have kind of a nervous energy,” the bookseller and blogger said, “so I channel it into something a little ambitious.”
“A little ambitious” modestly describes Schofield, who has worked 21 years as a publisher, and a blogger for 14 of them. Schofield started his blog in 2007 and initially talked about unique, unknown books. He had no expectations that he’d make money from it, forget about turning it into a business. Over time, though, he gained attention from designers and illustrators for adding images to his posts. He credits this as a source for his consumer base.
“When I started the store [in 2021], I had a built-in audience who associated me with those types of books: art, illustration, graphic design,” he said. “So those were the things I thought I could sell — and luckily, it turned out to be the case.”
Because of this, Schofield said jokingly that the bookstore took 21 years to plan, despite the physical location opening five weeks after the lease signing. But the years of unpaid labor are paying off. “All these years later, people who followed me on social media in 2007 when they were in college, now they have kids,” he said. “And they’re buying illustrated books from me, you know?”
Business manager Ian Lay pointed out one advantage of being located in Northwest Philly: the communities in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy. Lay and Schofield noted that creative professionals and families visit 50 Watts. For now, they want to balance the online and in-person audiences.
“It’s a juggling of the both — having something for everybody but also still keeping it in the realm of something interesting and unique, colorful and design-focused,” Lay reflected.
It’s a lot to ask of a 700-square-foot space, especially seeing how 50 Watts stocks and distributes many genres of books, including comics, children’s books, graphic novels, and fiction, while showcasing smaller publishers and international books. It adds up to a visually interesting shop that attracts passersby.
Schofield also has good relations with other booksellers in the area. He contacted Debbie Jansen, the owner of Booked, to say that he did not plan on selling the same work. Jansen reassured him that sellers can direct customers to each other’s bookstores to benefit the whole community.
When asked about his goals, Schofield mentioned that his online store became sustainable after three years, and he wants to see the sustainability of the physical store after the same amount of time. He alsol plans to host events and sell vintage art prints.
Lay said that he and Schofield have no complaints about the process, noting the short time it took to organize the launch of physical store and the reward of excited people in the area.
“It’s one thing to see it online,” Lay said, “but it’s another to have it in front of you and be able to look at the whole object and really appreciate the artwork and have an experience with it.”
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