Meet Your Board Candidate: Elese Stutts
ELESE STUTTS
I'm the Director of Buying & Operations at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC. In my current role, I oversee floor operations and am responsible for adult frontlist & sidelines buying, reorders/inventory management, event ordering, and institutional & school orders. I've been at Flyleaf for ten years, in positions ranging from frontline bookseller to children's buyer to manager. Prior to bookselling, I was a librarian at a reproductive health NGO. I have a master's degree in library science from UNC Chapel Hill. I'm passionate about public schools and take the greatest joy in facilitating partnerships between Flyleaf and our local teachers, librarians & students. And some fun stuff: How I'd describe my taste in books: Omnivorous with a preference for books written about places and things outside of my personal experience. What I enjoy outside of Flyleaf: Puzzles, shark teeth, lists, porches, cheese, soccer, family, and contending with my rapscallion of a basset hound.
Interview:
Why do you want to serve on the SIBA Board?
SIBA is a great resource for our bookselling community. I've personally benefited from SIBA's programming—the March Madness events, the Indie Press Social, the booksellers I've met along the way—and I've witnessed how important NVNR is for sharing knowledge and creating that community. I'd like to give back by serving on the Board. It's my hope that my years of experience in a variety of roles and my experience as a bookstore employee would prove useful. I've long considered getting more involved with SIBA, but the timing hasn't been right; if I can be of service now, I'd like to be!
What do you think are the most important challenges facing independent bookstores in the SIBA region?
The things that keep me up at night:
- How do we make/keep bookselling a viable career path
- How do we pay employees sustainable wages, offer health care, AND remain profitable entities? How do we help employees grow in their job?
- How do we stay competitive with online sellers and big-box chains on issues of price, usability, and speed of fulfillment? (the eternal question)
- How do we act when faced with inhospitable legislation or a political environment that is out of alignment with our store's values?
- How do we keep our booksellers safe and supported?
What do you think are the most important priorities for the SIBA organization?
Providing programming and education! Creating opportunities for booksellers across the region to gather virtually and in person, in both small and large groups to exchange knowledge and make connections. Providing support to bookstores and booksellers in times of crisis - whether it's a safety or security situation, a weather event, or a political issue impacting our ability to operate as we wish and put books in the hands of those in our community.