Meet the SIBA Board: Dave Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest

My wife and I opened Page 158 Books in 2015, and she is the one who truly runs the day-to-day of the store. I handle the IT, finance, and fill in where needed. It's a partnership that works. I started my career in technology back in 1999, working my way from a Level 1 help desk up through enterprise IT for Fortune 100 companies, and that background has shaped everything about how I think about running a small business. Earlier this year, I made the move to work in the book industry full time, focused on the technology side of how stores operate. Page 158 keeps me grounded in the reality of what it actually takes to run one.

The favorite part of my job is an easy answer: the conversations. I love talking to our customers, other booksellers, industry leaders about books as well as how we can make the industry more sustainable as a career.

Younger booksellers are arriving with experience shaped by modern software, and some of the tools available to them predate smartphones. That affects hiring, retention, and the day-to-day experience of running a store.

One challenge I think about a lot is the technology expectations gap. Younger booksellers are arriving with experience shaped by modern software, and some of the tools available to them predate smartphones. That affects hiring, retention, and the day-to-day experience of running a store. The good news is the industry is moving, and there are more options now than there were even five years ago. I'm excited to be part of that momentum.

What inspired me to join the SIBA board is the same thing that got me involved with Square's bookseller user group years ago, and with the ABA's Winter Institute sessions on POS technology: I believe indie booksellers need people in the room who understand both the culture of the store and the mechanics of the systems running it. The industry conversation about technology has too often been reactive. I want to help it become proactive.

What I'm most excited to work on is practical. How do we give independent stores better information, better tools, and better connections to the industry infrastructure they depend on? SIBA is a community, and community is where that work actually happens. I love being part of it.

I'll be at NVNR wearing a few hats at once: board member, store owner, and Edelweiss team member. That combination feels right for where I am in my career. More than anything, I'm looking forward to the conversations with stores, hearing what's working and what isn't, and understanding how SIBA can show up better for its members.