Spotlight on Tomorrow Bookstore
Indianapolis, Indiana bookstore owner Julia Breakey, who along with her husband, Jake Budler opened Tomorrow Bookstore at 882 Massachusetts (Mass) Ave. April 15, 2023, was kind enough to answer some questions about their experiences as bookstore owners.
Jake and Julia decided in August of 2022 that they wanted to open a bookstore. “We knew we wanted to be on Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis. We had looked at another space, but it wasn't right for us. We got a little lucky - right place, right time. We had recently met Tom Battista, who owns our building, to discuss another space that wasn't on Mass Ave. That one also didn't work out, but it turns out that Tom had an opening a few weeks later - that was our current space! He called to offer it to us, and within just a few weeks we had a lease signed.”
Endearingly, their bookstore name "Tomorrow" comes from a Shakespeare soliloquy that Julia's grandfather used to recite to her:
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Tomorrow Bookstore plays a significant role in helping fellow indie bookstores. “We try to be a connector in the local bookstore community. We're a physically small store, but we try to stay very open and flexible to various events, authors, ideas, etc. As a store, our focus is providing global perspectives and unique books that most people aren't familiar with.”
One thing that surprised Jake most about owning a bookstore is how antiquated the broader book and publishing industry still is! What compelling argument, then, would he give for holding a physical book vs. reading/listening to a virtual copy, as in an e-book or audiobook? Is there room in the world for all kinds of books? In some ways, Jake thinks the data speaks for itself. "People still value physical books. It's a massive, multi-billion-dollar industry that is somewhat recession proof. The printed book will never die."
He also values e-books and audiobooks for making reading more accessible. Jake is currently reading Paul Kingsnorth’s "Savage Gods", André Schiffrin’s "Business of Books", and a collection of Wendell Berry's (whom he has met) writing. Literary memoir is his go-to genre. While Jake does not have a favorite author, he loves the work that Two Dollar Radio publishes from Columbus, Ohio.
Where will Tomorrow Bookstore be 5 - or even 10 - years from now? Continuing to thrive! Owners Jake and Julia would love to get into micro-publishing, but that's more of a pipe dream at the moment. Busy as ever, Tomorrow Bookstore is hosting two upcoming events you won’t want to miss:
Book Drive Saturday, September 7 from 11am-1pm
Bring in your gently used books to donate to Alicia Drier's high school English classroom! @areeshra is a teacher at Brownsburg High School and would love your help stocking her classroom with books!
Authors at Tomorrow Saturday, September 14 from 11am-1pm
Meet local author Sarah Styf and pick up a copy of her memoir, The Life I Never Knew I Wanted. @sarah.styf is an Indy-based author who also wrote the novel Embracing the Journey.
