What to Do?

A major component of Agia Sophia’s Mission is to provide a focus on the pursuit of the topics we generally call ‘the Classics” – History, Literature, Religion, Philosophy and the elements of Culture upon which civilization and the spirit of man is uplifted. Within the 50,000 volumes at The Open Book, these treasures are buried. We will be bringing a greater focus, and introducing new titles that won’t be found elsewhere. Under the auspices of Agia Sophia, we hope to cultivate a clientele who appreciate this focus this new .

Yet 80% of the current revenue and the majority of regular customers come in for the well worn, recycled paperbacks not found anywhere else in Bend – Westerns, Mysteries, and Romance. What to do? Did the new vision demand abandoning the Open Book legacy? Then the ‘bells went off’ so to speak when wrestling with what to do with the bulk of the inventory. I had the thought: Folks who eat healthy at home, stop in for Coffee and Treats – even with a new focus on meaningful writing, events and conversation, the historical fiction so popular here suddenly appeared to me as another type of ‘treat’ to have with coffee & a pastery.

So, we are keeping that 80%, while we hope to cultivate a broader clientele, while we enjoy serving everyone who comes to Agia Sophia.