School's back. Stef's store rhythm has shifted—daytime foot traffic of grandparents and gift-hunters, energy surge when kids arrive after 3 p.m. Her new employee (former kindergarten teacher) is already generating ideas and enhancing displays. The Larkspur store is humming.

Then a pop-up opportunity arrives—unexpected, unconventional, three months in a shared space. Details are coming, but it's testing ground for things she'll need at the second location. Building the plane as you're flying it so to speak...

But here's what she notices: her body is tightening. Chest pains threatening. Her mind says keep going. Her body says stop.

She's juggling: book club, nonprofit sales, book processing, an October event with another local biz, summer reading challenge wrap-up, Pacific Sun article idea, Reuse Alliance book swaps, Instagram (first to go), podcast (second to go), weekly newsletter, hiring paperwork, Wednesday volunteers, the wine stroll Saturday -- and the store.

What suffers when you're doing too many things? Marketing. But maybe that's a sign you're doing too many things.

She has to write a timeline. She has to listen to her body. She has to figure out what stays and what goes.

Current Book Count: ~18,000+

Follow along as The Phoenix Used Bookshop continues to rise—subscribe to A Bookshop of My Own and get updates at phoenixusedbookshop.com.

Links mentioned:

• Phoenix En Plein Air: Our Outdoor BookClub
• Submit a book request