Allie Levy ’11, Founder of Still North Books, talks starting a business in Hanover and her journey in the publishing world
Where did you grow up and what led you to Dartmouth?
I grew up in the Detroit area of Michigan. I ended up at Dartmouth because I really loved the combination of liberal arts and opportunities to explore available here. I’ve also always loved the history and landscape of the New England area and totally fell in love with the place when I visited as a senior in high school.
What did you do during your time at Dartmouth?
I was an English major, though I had considered creating my own major in American Studies. My concentration was, interestingly, in theory and criticism, which is funny because nowadays I read more literary fiction. I also took a lot of Geography courses, was a part of Tabard, and was an editor for the Arts section of the D.
How would you say your Dartmouth experience shaped your career so far?
I feel like the biggest thing I got out of my Dartmouth career was being introduced to the Upper Valley, even more so than classes or extracurriculars. The thing that led me back to Dartmouth was the introduction I got to the Upper Valley when I was here. There’s something about the land that I just fell in love with, and what brought me back was that I want to be part of the greater community here. I was also lucky to be one of the few English majors here who found a career that relates back to my major!
How did you decide what to do after college and how did you grow from the experience?
I had no idea what to do after college! I moved to NY because it seemed like that’s what people were doing and I thought “I’ll go figure it out there”! I didn’t feel ready to dive into an office job right away so I started working in retail and ended up loving it. However, I had a lot of conflicting feelings about it because I got this degree from Dartmouth but would have customers come up to me and say things like “You know, you should really go back to college”. So, I had this internal conflict where I had this Ivy League degree but really loved retail. I ended up moving away from front-line retail and getting more experience in marketing and publishing, but still really loving retail. I think it took me a long time to realize that although so many Dartmouth students go into finance and consulting, all careers are valid.
How did you transition into your work in the publishing industry?
Before I pivoted into publishing, I was working in marketing and e-commerce at the American Alpine Club, which is a non-profit organization out in Colorado for climbers. I was really missing the side of me that was more literary and language-oriented. I realized I wanted to get back to that, and so I did a 6-week certificate program at Columbia and thought that I was going to be most interested in magazine and online publishing, but ended up falling back in love with books. I moved back to Denver and thought that I was going to pack up all my stuff and move to New York to work in publishing, but in between when I was packing my things up in Denver I came across a bookstore-bar in Denver. When I walked in, I fell in love with the place and realized “this is where I want to be for a while”. I started working there as a marketing/event coordinator and stayed for a few years. After a while, I heard that nagging voice in my head again that reminded me I wanted to work in publishing, so I moved back to New York and started working at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in their Trade Marketing division. In terms of whether or not I always knew what I was doing as I adjusted to these different roles, I remember feeling uncomfortable and always learning on the job, and think it’s so important to switch it up in your career as you’re going along. I’ve definitely learned how to be more comfortable in many different situations!
How did you decide to start Still North Books?
I was working in publishing and I was really missing bookselling. One of the great things about bookselling is that you’re not tied to one specific publisher and you can introduce people to any book you want, whereas in publishing you have to promote books from that one publisher. It was my second “go” in New York and I realized New York is not long-term for me, so I started to think what 10 years down the road would look like, and started to think that might be opening an independent book store somewhere, especially in New England. The more I thought about it, the more I saw that my ideal scenario would be to open an independent bookstore in Hanover. I ignored it for a while because of the bookstores that existed here in Hanover at the time, but then about three months later I heard the Dartmouth Bookstore was closing and so I started working on a business plan and talking to people about the idea. I just kind of started work on Still North and realized it was viable, and just decided to move forward!
Could you tell us a bit about how running an Indiegogo campaign was like or any other related challenges to starting your own business?
Crowdfunding is really interesting. I decided to do it because other bookstores had Indiegogo campaigns, and the reality of bookselling is that it is a challenging business and any additional funding is helpful. We were fully funded without it, but it helped with community involvement because so many people were asking how they could help, and also just to spread awareness. It was challenging! I didn’t think about how emotionally taxing it would be to be asking people for money, and it made me feel more indebted to the community, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it didn’t always feel good to be asking for money. So, after a few weeks I backed off from it and in retrospect I’m glad we did it, I want the community to feel like this is their space, and I’m super grateful to everyone who contributed to the campaign, but the emotional side of crowdfunding is definitely something people should think about before starting their own campaigns.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given (career-related or otherwise)?
One of my mentors said to me that you can get what you need from a city in a weekend, but if you’re someone who needs to be in a more rural area, you can’t get that from just a weekend. Sometimes we think that the job is more important than where you are, but sometimes if you’re living somewhere you’re passionate about it can be just as important as what you’re doing. It’s valid to “choose” based on location!
Was there a particular path you wanted to take after Dartmouth? If so, how closely did you stick to it?
I did not have a path at all! Even when I thought there was a path, I didn’t stick to it. Now, in retrospect, it feels like there was always a path I was following the whole time, and that the lessons I learned along the way helped me do what I’m doing today.
What is your number one bucket list item for Dartmouth seniors?
Go on an Upper Valley diner tour and visit swimming holes!
