Name: Inga Books (Founders: Alan, Jacob, Malia)

City: Chicago

https://i-n-g-a.com/

How has your summer been, and what have you been reading?

Malia: It's been good. I think we're riding a little high because we had a really great event last night here. It was the first time in a while that we were able to bring film projection into the space again after the pandemic, and it was really nice. The program was part of a collaboration with the 6018 Justice Hotel. I feel like this has been a very social summer, so I'm enjoying all that energy. I just need to take more time to read books for myself to rejuvenate. 

Alan: Yeah. I think it's been pretty good. We’re just starting to see people. And in terms of being at the bookshop, it seems like more people are coming out. It's nice to see familiar faces coming in and meeting new people in this space. It's always nice when the weather is a little nicer.

Malia: Definitely. There’s hunger for connection. And then I'm not reading this yet…but we just brought this book home to start reading it. It's called Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image. I'm really excited this came into the shop. It will be my next shop read.

How many of the books you have in the shop do you actually read? And how do you decide what to bring in if you don't read all of them?

Alan: We currently have about 1,000 books. 

Malia: So, out of a thousand, we definitely don't read a high percentage from cover to cover. But I think we get to interact with a lot of them. You guys in particular, because you spend more time during shop hours here than I do.

Alan: Yeah. I was talking to someone earlier this week about how the bookshop has develop its own character in terms of the books that come through here,. I think initially we were all seeking stuff out that corresponded with what we were interested in. For example, me and Malia would look for film-related books and Jacob was into graphic and design books. But I think over time, and with more people knowing about the bookshop, they'll reach out to us. When people look through some of the things that we've carried, it encourages them to submit new work that we haven't been aware of. And then those books start getting added into the shop and kind of organically grows its own taste.

Malia: And momentum builds internally within the shop. Maybe we start working with a new publisher, or a local artist brings their work by, and then over time they produce another book or a new collaboration with someone else. This momentum starts growing from the shelves themselves. But we still certainly have channels that we order from, and we still spend the time to select what feels interesting enough to us that it makes sense here. I think a lot of it is still based on interest. But also, over time, I know you guys are seeing people's purchasing power and what they're interested in and then you start getting a sense of what else to bring in to supply that.

Alan: Yeah. I wanted to add a bit about the economics and money aspect. When we first started the shop, we reached out to a lot of publishers. We didn't have a coffer of money to just buy stuff that we were interested in and really wanted. So, we reached out to different publishers and they entrusted us with consignment agreements. We would pay them out every quarter based on what was sold, as opposed to buying stuff upfront. And that allowed us to gradually building up our “purchasing power”, which then allowed us to order from distribution channels - stuff that maybe doesn't make it to the U.S. sometimes, or stuff that isn't necessarily put out by an independent publisher, but still aligns with our interests and that other stuff that we've carried in the past.

How would you describe the kind of books you carry here?

Jacob: I don't think we've ever cared that much to adhere to it. There are too many books to try. But art, design, film, theory, and ecology are big nodes that everything sits around. There are a bunch of exceptions to that too. For the longest time, our bio said something about self-published and independent titles, and we recently changed it to the word “inter-dependent”, which felt nice.

But I remember starting out, we would wrap our heads around what's the line between self-publish or independently published. I mean, there's some stuff that's arguably independently published with big imprints, and there are other things when someone maybe made one or five or ten copies. So, this word “interdependent” felt good. It's like things that rely on each other and not that they solely rely on us, but this goes back to the most important part of the model: paying people, which is oftentimes sort of practiced secondary or tertiary to other stuff, it seems like. At least that was our experience. So yeah, “interdependent” - we also rely on them, to have books on our shelves. It's a nice ecosystem.

How many years has this bookstore been here?

Jacob: Four, next week. August 4th is the birthday.

Alan: I think we started the business in March 2019. 

Malia: But we didn't open our doors until August.

Jacob: We probably spent about a year preparing for it - collecting, making agreements, getting stuff in the mail, figuring out the model of it, and so on. There are funny photos from the year prior to the opening, of us in here on computers, with a bunch of boxes. These bookshelves weren't here when we opened. The only thing we had, more or less, was this one shelf running against the wall, which Alan's brother Rudy built. It was a year of slow progress and then it all came together pretty well just the day before.

What brought you guys together to open a bookstore like this?

Jacob: There's a few different answers here, but we met at Chicago Book Fair, and we all joined a reading group or learning group. That group first met at someone's studio, and then, for one of the later meetings, we met in here - the location of the bookstore - in the capacity of Filmfront. I mean, that's not necessarily the genesis of the shop but that's totally how we met.

Malia: I think it makes sense, because this bookshop model is kind of based on what we all seem to identify as this strangeness of how there's such an interest in Chicago for these types of publications, but there wasn't necessarily a permanent house for them outside of the art book fair. You see the excitement of the art book fair, and there's a buzz of energy. So we thought, why can't we access this more consistently throughout the year and have a shop for them? Art book fair is so much about relationships, I think. Jacob was making artist books, and we were printing zines. That brought us together. Through doing art book fairs, we build relationships, and then that's how we really gained the trust to start getting the books even though we didn't have a proper shop and we didn't have the money to buy everything upfront.

Alan: What I remember is we met at the artbook fair in 2017, and then we did it again the next year, but by then, we already had the idea of opening the bookshop in 2018. At that same art book fair, I remember we started reaching out to people like, “We're thinking about opening a bookshop. It's still in an idea phase, but do you want to leave some books behind with us?”

Malia: We saw it as a mutually beneficial system because the extra books that didn't sell at the fair could be just left at the location, and we could sell them throughout the year. So we just started thinking, pragmatically, with minimal resources, what could we access and how could we start to build up our shelves? I still think that's a good strategy, even though it's an unusual one.

What's the relationship between Filmfront and Inga?

Alan: Filmfront was here from 2015 to 2020. When the Covid hit, we stopped doing film screenings, so Filmfront is pretty much like a predecessor of Inga.

Jacob: Filmfront has its own history, Malia and Alan ran it. And I'm the addition for Inga. So there are some common protagonists. When the bookshop opened, Filmfront was still doing programming. We'd move everything aside, which was easier back then, fill the space with chairs, and then do film screenings. There's a lot of overlap, in terms of people, ideas, experiences and knowledge that continue to feed into Inga. But literally, when the bookshop opened, they were coexisting.

When you came together to envision a bookshop, did you see it as a business startup or more of a side project interest? Because even now, you only open two days a week. I'm curious what you do for the rest of the week.

Jacob: Our business license is up on the window. It's totally a business, we are licensed.

Malia: Yeah, I think it was always going to be a business. But also, we never approached it from a traditional business model. We approached it from our experiences of making art books and dealing with bookshops that didn’t necessarily foster the kind of relationships that we wanted to see in the world. So some of the very early conversations were about how to make consignment agreements that felt more fair to artists. We just decided we need to try and do it differently. That doesn't mean we've cracked the code of the business model at all by any means. We're learning all the time. But I think being open two days a week has been because we were doing other jobs and we didn't jump into this as full time right off the bat, but it doesn't mean it's the right strategy. Maybe full time is the direction we should go.  

Alan: We've already been toying with the idea of opening for the third day. But generally, this street has its own rhythms. Maybe in the next few weeks, we're thinking of adding Sundays, after the four-year mark. We have been building the store piece by piece and kind of seeing how things work out. It was never a full-blown business plan to open five days a week right out of the gate.

Malia: Yeah, incremental steps. Testing the waters and seeing how they feel for all of us in our lives.

Jacob: I could imagine a scenario where right out of the door, it burned too bright, and then we'd be burnt out, done.

Alan: Well, that's the other thing too. Going into the project without a lot of money and backing, just all of us pooling together… For the first year, we were paying the rent for the bookshop because it was not self-sustaining. But it's grown to the point where it is kind of paying for itself, which was a big step. None of us came from a business background. Like what Jacob was saying, I think there's definitely one way to just take out a $50,000 loan and buy all this stuff, you know. I can't even imagine how many books you could buy with that. So many books.

Jacob: Also, when we first opened, there were only the incredible shelves Alan’s brother Rudy built, which is basically a contribution to the shop. But aside from that, we were using IKEA tables that we had at home. There was no venture capital involved.

Malia: Yeah, we didn't take on a traditional business structure. It's very much slow growth and holistic where we're just bringing in what we're able to contribute at certain points. We're definitely fortunate to know a lot of people who have design capabilities and have been able to help us. But it's definitely a different approach to a business. 

Alan: I think the space itself from the onset has also been a place that experiments with ideas, like free public programming. There's a learning aspect to it as well, which I think we're all kind of interested in. I think the space program is providing a lot of material for people that are also interested in that or coming from that kind of background.

Malia: There are opportunities for connection. Whether it’s around film or books. There's always been a public-facing dimension to it where it's most alive when are you are able to bring people in and exchange ideas.

What are your other jobs besides this? Is it the eventual dream job to just run the bookshop?

Alan: This is the main thing that I’m focusing on at the moment. If an opportunity presents itself, like any sort of project...I have done stuff like video editing, copy editing and also building. But yeah, it would be a dream to have the bookshop be my main job. But I think it definitely takes a while for it to stay rooted and grounded to eventually transition into that.

Malia: I work at Northwestern as a programmer. Monday through Friday. That's why I'm less present as the face of the shop. Jacob and Alan do an amazing job of being here on our open days. Because a lot of times I'm tired out at the end of the week.

Jacob: You are here in spirit.

Malia: I like to be on call to support when I can.

Jacob: I do graphic design and make websites and am here on Fridays and Saturdays. And I don't know, I haven't thought about it enough to put it into words. It would be really nice if the bookshop grew to the point where it would be a little more sustainable. And it's not not sustainable right now, but there's a lot of stuff to do. It takes a lot of work. That's a whole topic in itself. But we've spoken to a few places, other shops like this, by some reasoning even way cooler in terms of the stock and stuff, and they're not able to make a living from it.  

Malia: Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of models for this type of art bookshops that can pay out multiple salaries that a person can live on in a decent way without them being either completely funded by a larger institution or existing in a country that has a lot more funding or granting and resources for projects like this. I think it's particularly challenging in the U.S. to be able to live off this kind of structure. Doesn't mean it's impossible and I do very much hope for it and welcome people to bring suggestions.

Alan: Those two for sure, are ways to make things sustainable. And then there's also people who obviously come from money, who have the ability to sustain an artistic practice and a bookshop. And then the fourth thing too, is we've seen models where it goes into another business, like with wine or book cafe.

Jacob: Wine and books go together.

Alan: Unfortunately, yeah, I've looked into the profit margins and they're pretty much the same. But people do drink more than read.  

Malia: There's an equation. We're working on it slowly. We welcome the input and I think hopefully there's ways to sustain it, whether that's through supporting us full time, or by fitting into our lives with other structures. It's one of those existences, but it would be wonderful if it's able to have a long future in one of those modes.

Alan: The fifth mode is the nonprofit route. But that definitely requires a larger effort to seek out grants related to literature and humanities. And there are also other grants like the Artist Run Chicago Grant that Hyde Park Art Center offers for organizations that are doing public programming in the city.

Malia: We can collect smaller grants focusing on arts organizations, or maybe one day if we decide to embrace not being a profit-oriented model but a culturally important space, then we could consider becoming a nonprofit and get government funding.

Alan: This is not the country for that.

Jacob: I think as I understand it, something like a nonprofit would force our hands. I don't even mean for better or for worse necessarily, but it would oblige us to embrace a different model and work in a different way. I think one aspect of our successful approach is it being measured or tethered to what's realistic for us to avoid burn out. That has dictated how many days we're open or how often we post stuff on Instagram. Everything's kind of connected to that. That comes first, and then everything else follows, which is good, and probably why this has sustained itself despite whatever model we happen to be employing. Does that make sense?

Alan: We probably haven't thought about it much because we've been pretty lucky with the cost of running this space. The person who owns the building hasn't increased the rent. But I do think there is a level of precarity. If all of a sudden, the building is sold and the next person be like, “Oh, hey, you know what? You're going to pay twice the amount...”

Malia: I would imagine we would radically shift into a different version of this, or close. But I think it might turn into something very different if that were the case. There's a significant aspect of having a fortunate relationship as a renter. But there's not much security in that. So that’s true.

What I'm understanding is, what makes the shop so unique is because it's run according to the interest of the three of you. And you have a lot of control, and you can be independent. If you have to fit into an already existing model, you might lose something in doing that.

Malia: Definitely. If we were accountable to a larger institution, like there was a museum across the street and they wanted us to be their constellation bookstore, there would certainly be other interests involved. I think it is really rare to both have a functioning business and have your interests directly expressed in it without much concern. In a way, we don't have to be as concerned as how much money we're making, we focus more on our other values in the shop, and yet there’s sort of feedback loop that feeds into it.

I imagine when you first started the bookstore, it was probably out of passion for community, knowledge, love of books and all that. But when you really want to make it run for the long-term, there are so many practical things you must do, things that you might not necessarily like. How do you manage that? I don’t know. For me, committing to being here every Friday and Saturday at a specific hour…What if I just don't feel like it that day? Can I not show up? 

Alan: It doesn't feel that crazy for me. But I also like having that kind of structure personally. I had the same thing when we were running with the film screening space here. We tried to initially have meetings and discuss upcoming events and so on. Having structure built into a project...I feel that's the only way it can keep going.

Malia: Sometimes, to think that your Fridays and Saturdays are booked does sound kind of bad. Of course, I'm not speaking as directly because I'm usually working elsewhere on Fridays and not always here representing. But I do find that when I'm here for the shop hours, it's certainly a bit tiring, but it's also invigorating to directly connect with people who are coming in and asking questions, browsing books. You meet so many more people.

There are readers, but there's also people who come in to chat about their artistic practices, their curiosities. I think that can be a huge source of energy. Not to deny the fact that running the shop is exhausting, or can be - like any job, it just takes energy to do that. But it gets back to you. The same applies to running events here. You tap into the energy of really connecting with interesting people that just want to find a connection for something. So that's rewarding in a different way than if we were running it and it was a corporation and were behind the scenes somewhere.

Jacob: Going back to what Malia was saying. Weirdly, there aren’t really low moments, but hypothetically, if there were one, seeing how much people are into it encourages us to keep going.

Malia: It's nice to register in people's responses that what we are doing is meaningful.

Jacob: Yeah, as long as there's good energy around it and people want to come out. I don't see an issue.

Alan: I’d just like to add a little note too. I think the physical space of the bookshop is important, but our presence outside of the physical space is also something that's really cool. Now that we're in our fourth year, it's just been interesting to think about when people reach out and say, hey, we've been following your project for a while, and we think it would be really cool for you to carry our book. The project exists both in the physical space and online. We receive orders and ship out to different parts of the country, or even overseas. There are clearly people engaged with the type of stuff that we're interested in. Sometimes, people from other countries or cities specifically come here on their visit to Chicago. It’s really cool to know that other people know about us.

Going back to the name of the bookstore – Inga, your website says it’s the name of a type of tree that nourishes the soil for other plants. Is that a metaphor for the soil of Chicago?

Malia: There's a lot of reparative work to do in the Chicago soil, and that goes above and beyond our pay grade. But fortunately, we have soil experts who brought books in. But yes, both literally and metaphorically. It may sound lofty, but one aspect of our intention behind the name Inga books is to reference that tree and its relationship in the ecosystem. So, we like to think about how businesses or projects like this can be part of an ecosystem in a beneficial way, and be relating to one another and supporting one another. That was part of how we established different relationships with publishers, small publishers and artists we worked with directly, to have accountability to them in a different way than we had experienced when we were existing as the smallest fish in this ecosystem. So yeah, the name has a good intention, but for us, it also has other meanings beyond that.

From your perspective, for those unfamiliar with the Chicago art and culture scene, how would you describe what's going on? How do you see the bookstore situated in that environment, and what is its relationship with it?

Jacob: A big part of the impetus in opening the bookstore was that there wasn't anything like it, at least in the given moment. Historically there have been a few other things, including the shop that used to be right next to this storefront, called Golden Age. If someone else had done it, I'd be a customer there every weekend.

Alan: Yeah. I was also going to say, the programming too feeds into the cultural sphere. We're pretty interested in events that are of an experimental nature. We're not interested in events that are just someone speaking at an audience, but instead have a more interactive element. We've done a soil testing workshop in the space, and we also have lectures around book launches, different ways of thinking about a book launch.

I think small spaces like this are the ones that are willing to take a risk because you don't have anything to lose. Like, why not do it? We had a dog performance once. I think that's part of a larger way of thinking about an independent space, having the ability to not conform to the standards that an institution would, you know, make you rigidly state stuff, or have texts on the wall, or interact with certain things in certain ways. We try to work with the people proposing things to have something that’s out of the ordinary.

Do you have people with programming ideas or books approaching you, and you have to say no?

Alan: Oh, yeah, we have to say no. We're getting better at it. But sometimes, it's just a matter of either not fitting into the stuff that we're carrying, or sometimes it has to do with practically like scheduling, or sometimes we don't have capacity for it.

Jacob: It can be practical, conceptual. It's such a small space, and sometimes the idea for the programming is just bigger than the space can handle.

Your bookstore is situated in Pilsen, a neighborhood rich in Mexican culture. Do you interact with your neighbors? How do you see yourself into this ecosystem?

Alan: Sometimes. I think there's a different kind of service being offered. There’s such a wide mix of things on this block. We have a dentist, a Mexican restaurant... Since we've been here since 2015, this whole side didn’t have as much going on as the other side of the Pilsen. I grew up in this neighborhood, so I have seen it change. It's an interesting strip.

Jacob: We must look funny from the perspective of someone who operates their business from Monday through Saturday. And we are the place that opens its windows for a few hours from Friday to Saturday.

For the next 5 to 10 years, do you foresee maintaining a spontaneous approach, or are you starting to consider implementing a business plan?

Alan: That's a really good question.

Jacob: The spontaneity settles into a plan. We totally have a plan. It's just the result of figuring it out on the go, and maybe getting it wrong and then adjusting. But it amounts to a plan, I'd say.

Alan: Yeah. Every year we're learning patterns. We'll talk for hours, outline what we plan to do, and that'll inform us for six months, and we'll be like, “Damn, we should have done that three years ago.” I think there is probably a correlation between the potential scale and the spatial limitations. I'm sure there's a formula out there for some math statistics wizard to be like, “Oh, you have X amount of square footage, and this is the possibility with the space.

One last question. Why do film and books interest you? Why do you want to work with them?

Alan: I think the format is really appealing. On the one hand, there is something very physical about a book. It can travel with you. And a film has this other element of sticking power. It also travels with you. I don't want to make this sound too lofty, but there is something about the practices of publishing - the way people decide to make information accessible and laid out. Some of the things that we had in the space, or the ideas guiding the space involve learning models. And I think both films and books lend themselves to the possibility of that exchange between people in a space.

Jacob: Yeah, publishing and making things public, and a public of people who come through. It happens in other ways too, even like shipping books or people coming in and chatting. But we really feel it most strongly through our programming, which is still happening. We're probably more conscious about it when we first opened. Since then, the scope of our programing has expanded nicely into many other areas. But being a vessel for everyone else, publishing and connecting books to readers and readers to books, and creating a public of people around the community is a truly rewarding aspect of what we do.

Interviewed on July 29th, 2023. Pilsen, Chicago