Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business

"I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I could go for a second helping "--Amy Sedaris

"Entrepreneurs will learn a thing or two about translating a dream into thoughtful business growth, and everyone will laugh, cry, and nod along with a woman who has chosen to live an extraordinary life amidst many piles of dishes." --Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, founder of Shake Shack, author of the New York Times bestseller Setting the Table

In this charming graphic memoir, the founder of an iconic housewares shop recounts the ups and downs--and ups again--of starting a family business, starting a family, and staying true to one's path while trying to make it in the Big City.

Whether it's a set of vintage plates from a 1920s steamship, a mug with a New Yorker cartoon on it, a tin of sprinkles designed by Amy Sedaris, or a juice glass from a Jazz Age hotel, Fishs Eddy products are distinctly recognizable. A New York institution, Fishs Eddy also remains a family business whose owners endured the same challenges as many family businesses--and lived to write about it in this tale filled with humorous characterizations of opinionated relatives, nosy neighbors, quirky employees, and above all the eccentric foibles of the founders themselves. Readers come to know author Julie Gaines and her husband, with whom she founded the store, and because this is a family business, the illustrations are all in the family, too: their son Ben Lenovitz's drawings bring Fishs Eddy to life with a witty style a la Roz Chast and Ben Katchor.

Over the years the store has collaborated with artists and celebrities such as Charley Harper and Todd Oldham, Alan Cumming, and many others to produce original designs that are now found in thousands of stores throughout the country, and Fishs Eddy has garnered a huge amount of media coverage. A great gift for anyone who has ever dreamed of opening a little business--or anyone with any kind of dream--Minding the Store offers wisdom, inspiration, and an exceedingly entertaining story.

Author: Julie Gaines
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 10/30/2018
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 9.00h x 7.60w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781616206628


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/25/2018
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2018
Booklist 11/15/2018 pg. 38

About the Author
Gaines, Julie: - Julie Gaines grew up in Staten Island and studied painting at Syracuse University. After college she moved to Manhattan, where she met Dave Lenovitz and together they opened Fishs Eddy. Thirty years later Julie's favorite pastimes are still designing and selling dishes.Lenovitz, Ben: - Ben Lenovitz was born and raised in New York City. He studied painting at SUNY New Paltz and now lives in New York, where he has built his business called Art on Block. He is the son of Fishs Eddy founders Julie Gaines and Dave Lenovitz.

This title is only available via back order