PITTSBORO - Put a book in Myles 弗里德曼's hands and he's as excited as a kid at Christmas.

弗里德曼，环城书店的老板 & 音乐, shares his enthusiasm and knowledge about books with customers to his shop in the historic heart of Pittsboro.

He has kept all the charm and customer service of a traditional bookstore and added to it a calendar of activities 如 book signings, meet-the-author, 特别活动. 他在希尔斯伯勒街121号的店铺占地1200平方英尺. is filled with more than 20,000 volumes to appeal to every variety of reader. Circle City also stocks old 45 and 33 rpm vinyl records as well as CDs.

弗里德曼's connection with books began years ago when, 大学毕业不久, 他帮助经营公平交易书店, 在Carrboro. 追求他对文字的热爱, he became a newspaper writer and then started a company, 先锋的出版物. For 15 years he and a partner published a magazine that featured travel to baseball spring training camps. 直到21世纪初，这家公司的业务一直很好, when such information became available for free via the Internet.

大约一年前, 弗里德曼, still in love with words and gifted with the spirit of an entrepreneur, had the hankering to return to his first love: finding, 分享, 购买, 卖二手书, from second-hand best sellers to rare collectibles.

He felt such an operation would work 在少不了 but, 尽管他拥有其他企业, he had never been the one responsible for the financials. 他是作家, 编辑和出版商, 把生意交给合伙人经营, 所以他有疑虑.

He had found a perfect location and purchased lots of great books. What he didn't have was up-to-date expertise on operating a successful small business. Among those he turned to for help was Gary Kibler, director of 中央卡罗莱纳社区学院's Small Business Center in Chatham County.

The Small Business Center provides free services to would-be and existing small business owners, 协助他们进行业务咨询, 训练, 教育, and networking to establish and maintain their businesses. It is part of the North Carolina Small Business Center Network, whose mission is "to help develop the local economy one business at a time."

“迈尔斯是一个不请自来的客户，”基布勒说. "I covered with him the essentials of starting any business in the county."

Kibler and 弗里德曼 talked about whether 弗里德曼 should incorporate or operate as a sole proprietor. 他们做了盈亏平衡分析, with reasonable projections for both sales and operating costs, 弗里德曼 could produce enough income to justify his effort. They reviewed the steps he needed to accomplish to ensure he was in compliance with operating a business in the town and county.

弗里德曼 credits Kibler with helping to organize his thinking, providing essential referrals for services and dispelling the nagging questions, 如, “我错过了什么??"

One of Kibler's favorite questions is, "What's your special sauce?" That is, why would someone buy a book from 弗里德曼's store rather than online? 弗里德曼 had to address the serious issue of how he would compete with online booksellers, 比如亚马逊.

弗里德曼's position is that he cannot compete with the giants on some items. They often get books donated from thrift stores or public libraries and charge only a cent above the cost of freight. 在这种商品上没有办法在价格上竞争. However, he can match or beat the price of his competition on most items in the store.

His real advantage has little to do with price, according to Circle City customer Susan Soleil.

"Shopping in a book store offers a more complete, satisfying experience," she said. "You can see the condition of a book, examine it and discuss its qualities with the shop owner. You cannot beat the experience of touching and browsing in a bookstore."

Keep up with what's happening at Circle City Books & 音乐 by visiting the store or at its 脸谱网 page, www.脸谱网.com/pages/Circle-City-Books-音乐，或致电919-548-5954.

For more information about 推荐正规买球平台's Small Business Center in Chatham County, email Gary Kibler at gkibler@ospifse.net 或者拨打919-542-6495，分机. 215. For the Small Business Center in Lee County, contact Mike Jones at mjones@ospifse.net or 919-718-7424. For the Small Business Center in Harnett County, contact Nancy Blackman, nblackman@ospifse.net or 910-892-2884.