Life & Work with Lindsay Kline

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Kline.

Hi Lindsay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
I moved to Gaylord in 2013 from Colorado. I have always been passionate about reading and literacy, and my dream has always been to open up a bookstore. My husband is in the military, so I went the nursing route and have worked as a Registered Nurse. I originally started as a mobile/pop-up store. In February I broke my ankle and I had way too much time to sit and research opening up a brick-and-mortar store. I started talking to different people and telling them my goals. When I looked at the building, we are in the first time, I was told that someone else in town was talking about opening a bookstore as well. This pushed me to make the jump. After signing my lease, I found out this person was actually talking about me! One of my friends had been talking to her about it a few days prior. The store officially opened over the Memorial Day weekend. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not necessarily been a smooth road. I am entirely self-funded, so it has been tricky to open the store on a very tight budget. With the help of my father-in-law, I built all of my own shelving. I had “open days” as soon as I started moving into the store. People were shopping out of boxes while I was working on setting up. I needed those days to start letting people know the store was coming and to make a small bit of money to keep ordering inventory. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have been a registered nurse for 10 years, and while getting the store started, I have been working nights as an on-call nurse while running the store during the day. I am so grateful for all of my family’s help and support. My husband is part of the Michigan National Guard, and he works out of Camp Grayling. We have 4 children aged 15, 12, 8, and 4. We were also foster parents for about 6 years until recently. I also help run a winter festival, Alpenfrost, that I co-founded with one of my friends. 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I am really hoping to see my store grow into a bigger space. Currently, I occupy about 400 sqft. I would love to offer book clubs and reading groups for all ages to foster a love for reading. Having a bigger space, we would be able to accommodate a reading area. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plotboundbooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plotboundbooks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plotboundbooks