2024 12 28
Thank you (for shopping at my imaginary photobook shop). Chicago, Illinois. June, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Becoming a Photobook Shop Owner in 2025
Oh, man. The photobook store. I’ve been secretly obsessing over this idea for at least two years now. The immediate and obvious inspiration for opening a small (physical & web-based) shop dedicated to photobooks and photography shows/talks/meetups is Baltimore Photo Space. I already have a(n amazing) photo studio space, so it seems like somewhat of a no-brainer to expand the existing operation into something beyond what it is already.
Quick backstory for those not already familiar with what photobooks are: Photo books. Books featuring the work of one or multiple photographers. Monographs. Printed visual essays. Printed visual narratives. Art books. Photo zines. It’s a genre of book, featuring photography (obvs), that is sort of seeing a resurgence in popularity as photography becomes an increasingly popular hobby (and job!) for more and more people. Making photos is easier than ever. Printing books is easier than ever. It’s sort of an obvious connection that more people than ever are releasing photobooks, many of which are very good (and some of which that are not)!
Let’s explore some pros and cons of this idea:
PRO: Will gain a ton of experience and understanding of what other photographers are up to. Endless inspiration (aka things to steal)!
CON: Will possibly have too much exposure to other people’s work, to the point that it will affect my own work a bit too much, in a bad way, or burn out on photography.
PRO: Will gain a huge photobook library that will be impressive (to some people)!
CON: Will have a huge photobook library that I will need to put somewhere and transport somehow (hard!).
PRO: Will make a living and/or have a bit more consistent income through doing something that I love to do (assuming the business does work as I think it would!)
CON: Will spend a lot of my time working in the photobook store, sourcing inventory, packing and shipping (my local post office has 1.9 stars on google. I stopped in there yesterday and they were not accepting customers because “the clerk was out,” as told to us by the apparently-not clerk), and generally doing things that take away my time and opportunities for creating new work of my own vs sharing the work of others in exchange for money.
PRO: Will make many new connections in the photo industry and likely some new friends as well!
CON: Will be forced to do more things I dislike doing, such as legal paperwork, taxes, bureaucracy, posting and responding to people on social media.
CON: lots and lots and lots of breaking down boxes.
While doing this thought experiment, it became apparent why I have only so far taken baby steps towards making this idea a reality. It would be a ton of work and there’s no clear way of knowing how much I would enjoy doing it longer term without committing and giving it a go. It sort of feels like the chances of it being a net positive on my life are about equal to the chances of it being a net negative. All that said, I have this vague urge to just make it happen. Like it’s a calling of sorts. Perhaps it runs in the family. Perhaps it’s in my blood, as my uncle had an underground rare book shop a few decades back.
In my ideal, wave a magic wand and make it happen scenario, I would go for it…along with a tight core of one to three other people, so that none of us would be tied to the shop full-time should other opportunities arise (as they will). The trick is finding those people. I do feel oddly confident in the vision and think it could be a lot of fun…in addition to being a lot of work. Work. Work. Shipping. Sourcing. Taxes. Documents. Fun. Work.
-Clayton
This is one entry in a multi-part series of self-exploration and contemplation-out-loud in advance of the new calendar year. Some of this may happen; none of this may happen.
For the complete list of posts, please see 2024 12 25.
