STARTING A NEW CHAPTER NEW OWNERS OF CRAWFORD’S BOOKS REALIZE A LIFELONG DREAM
Sue and Greg Richards with their children David and Jennie and Bunnie the dog.
JL By Jessica Laskey Shoptalk
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THE GRID AUG n 18
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ue and Greg Richards have always loved bookstores. “Bookstores are where we end up on vacation,” says Greg, a licensed structural engineer who specializes in school design and construction. “Wherever we may
be, we check out the local used book shops.” The Richards love bookstores so much that now they own one. On Jan. 1, they became the owners of beloved Hollywood Park bookstore Crawford’s
Books upon the retirement of its founders, Jim and Joyce Crawford. “Owning a bookstore had been a pipe dream of ours for years,” says Sue, who spent eight years working in children’s mental health, took time off to raise the couple’s two kids and then worked another eight years as an office manager for a nonprofit. “We were longtime customers of Crawford’s and one day when I was headed to Kennedy High School to drop off food for marching band practice, Greg suggested I stop by Crawford’s and tell them that if they ever want to sell to please keep us in mind.’” Sue did just that—and it just so happened that that very morning the Crawfords had discussed retirement. The couples met a few days later to start the purchasing process and just like that, the Richards’ pipe dream suddenly became a reality. “This has been a leap into new territory,” Sue admits. “Neither of us have ever worked retail, so we’re reaching out to people who know how to do things like marketing and advertising. There’s a lot to learn,