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Editor’s Note: This Is Squarespace is our monthly series sharing the stories of employees who are bringing their own creative ideas to life using our all-in-one platform.
We’re always working to develop tools that answer the “what if’s” that inevitably come with launching a project or starting your own business — whether it’s our customers around the world or members of our own employee community. Like Katie Mitchell, a content strategist who works on our Product team remotely in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not working on content strategy, Katie uses Squarespace as a platform for her business Good Books, an online bookstore selling books by Black authors that she runs with her mother.
We sat down with Katie to talk about what brought her and her business to Squarespace, the “what if” that prompted the launch of her online store, and her post-pandemic plans for Good Books.
What brought you to Squarespace?
Katie: Before Squarespace, we were selling through Instagram direct messages and some in-person events (pre-COVID). Because we were selling through DMs, we were missing sales whenever we weren’t glued to the phone and we looked unprofessional and kind of sketchy. I knew we needed a website to show we were legit and let our customers shop 24/7. My website building experience was limited to my MySpace days, so I knew I needed something user friendly and easy to set up. I considered other marketplace sites and ecommerce tools before deciding on Squarespace. Based on the fee structure and the look and feel I was going for, Squarespace was my best bet. I always get asked who designed my website and how much did I pay to get it built. I always say that Squarespace made it easy enough for me to get my website up and running in one day.
I also have a background in content creation and technical writing, and wanted to make the transition to content strategy. When I saw an opening for a content strategist on LinkedIn, I applied, but I figured I’d have to know someone to be taken seriously. To my surprise, I was contacted the next day and subsequently interviewed with my manager and teammates. I was choosing between another company that I always really liked, but it was the candid conversations I was able to have with the other content strategists about work-life balance, anti-racism, and other topics that are important to me that made me decide to work at Squarespace. I recently looked back at an old manifestation journal where I listed places I’d like to work and why, and Squarespace was on the list! So I’m currently living out my manifestations here at Squarespace.
What inspired you to create Good Books and what have you learned throughout the process?
Katie: Good Books started with a six-word question: “What if we started a bookstore?”
My mom and I were eating breakfast. The conversation had lulled when she blurted that question out. From there, we moved very quickly because it just felt like the right thing to do. My mom raised me on Black books — reading Black authors, reciting Black poems, and genuinely thinking some of those Black authors were my aunties. I know not everyone had that experience growing up, and I wanted to share that with people from all reading backgrounds.
It might sound odd, but being a bookstore owner has taught me how to be a better consumer. I am a very chill customer, especially when I’m buying from a small business, because I know exactly all the things that business owners are juggling.
In what ways have you had to pivot with Good Books in the past year?
Katie: When we first realized how serious COVID-19 was, we pulled out of all pop-ups we had planned for the year. It stung. I thought we wouldn’t have a way to connect to new customers. But after last summer’s uprisings, support poured in from all over the country. Our books have reached cities I’ve never heard of and states I’ve never thought I’d have a connection to. Since going 100% online, we’ve started a virtual book club and recording video tutorials on curating a personal library. Although I miss in-person interactions, being able to reach people who aren’t in our immediate vicinity is also rewarding too.
What is it like working with your family?
Katie: Fun! I love being with my mom, so having another thing to do together is the best. I’ve learned so much from her my whole life, and with Good Books, I learn something new from her everyday.
How do your two roles as a content strategist at Squarespace and creator of Good Books intersect, if at all?
Katie: One of the great things about working on the product team at Squarespace is that I can use my own website to test out new features. I use my content strategy skillset to craft my website and my social media. Whenever I’m creating new content for Good Books, I ask myself the same questions I would ask when creating new features at Squarespace. “Can this be said more simply?” “Is this flow intuitive?” “What’s the goal here?”
What’s next for you and Good Books?
Katie: We’re excited to expand!
Picture this: The Rona is a distant memory. You’re in the streets to make up for lost time. And what is that you see? Is it a food truck? Is it a tiny house? Nah, it’s Atlanta’s first mobile bookstore, Good Books—a place to read, chill, affirm, and build. Welcome in! We’re really excited to expand into a physical space that will be accessible to all of Metro Atlanta. Right now, we’re fundraising for the bookmobile and looking for sponsors to take on this journey with us.