Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne Munger.
Hi Wayne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
How I got to where I am today is hard to say for sure. I can’t claim to have planned where I am or what I would be doing from an earlier age. Growing up, I was fortunate to have a family that loved to travel and experience new and unique things. Somewhere along the way, whether from a book or a conversation with someone I met, I ran into a philosophy of life that I have kept forefront in my head. Paraphrased as concisely as I can put it is “Live the life that opens the most doors”.
I am the owner of Blue Hound Books in Jonestown, Texas along with my wife Sarah and son Hudson. Prior to starting our bookstore, I had made a life through coaching soccer and teaching. My wife’s career took us to Vermont from Texas for a while but also brought us back a few years later. Vermont’s pace of life was an eye-opener for me. There was a significant difference from the blistering and near unsustainable pace of teaching and coaching to having flexibility in work to allow for day to day life events and family. The thought of owning my own business had been in my head before but experiencing the priority shift really put some clarity on what is possible. I then chose to explore that door and see if it led anywhere.
After moving back and getting settled back in Texas, my wife got a great job at a top environmental law firm and I continued teaching and coaching while I looked for what business I would like and allow for the priorities in our life. I am lucky enough to marry someone with the same outlook and goals in life. We said from the start that family is more important than money and our careers and travel and new experiences were more important than the grind of work. Anything we do should have the flexibility to meet those priorities.
When we found out we would be having our first child, we took a look at our schedules and priorities and with the hours and effort we were giving our careers, we knew something would have to give in order to meet our goals. Thus, my dream of business ownership and the allure of an independent bookstore took its shape.
No matter where we went around the world we found ourselves drawn to the flame of a local bookstore. The stories and perspectives of the community, state, and nations curated for everyone who ventured in captured our attention and hearts. Through a year of research and trials of selling books, we were confident in our venture and so Blue Hound Books was born.
The purpose of Blue Hound Books and where I am now is the same as always. Open as many doors as possible for our family, our community, and myself. We intentionally placed our store in Jonestown to offer NW Austin and the Hill Country easier access to books and community. I have been surprised on how many local authors and artists there are that love to share their works. From art events and indie local author signings and book events, we are loving how the community is growing and bringing us into the fold.
That’s my story so far. From Texas to Vermont and back, new careers and a growing family.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Challenges and obstacles are marks of a unique journey. There have been many struggles and decisions made along the way that helped shape where we are today.
The obvious obstacles that we have encountered have been more logistical. It is a daunting and expensive to move across the USA once, and much more to do it twice. We loved the day to day life of living in New England but careers and family and friends helped us make the decision to move back. Changing careers is not easy and especially for jumping into self-employment. Questions like are we financially sound right now? What are the numbers we need to make it work, how are we going to keep our priorities straight when the work piles up? These questions are not easy to answer but with priorities and goals as well as support from family and friends, we make it work and have loved the new normal.
Another obstacle is balancing work and family. I wanted to make sure my life could allow me to be present and flexible for our new baby boy. Understanding the obligations and shared duties at home and during the day have been a learning curve as he grows. I have rebalanced my priorities and the better way to explain our life is that the business is a challenge for being a parent. My priorities are to be a dad first and business owner second. We are also blessed with an even tempered boy that I get to work with while at the store. In our minds, the dream scenario is growing up with present-minded parents in a bookstore filled with books and adventures.
I think the obstacle that I encountered early on that made me really look at my dream and the feasibility is the cost of commercial real estate in Austin. As with the housing market retail space prices rose during the Covid crisis and have no sign of stopping anytime soon. We have been in the Austin area through college and year after year, we see commercial developments that open up and sit vacant for years before being filled as they charge higher and higher rates for occupations. We had our budget for start-up rental costs and that alone limited us in space and location. Finding the right spot in the right community led us to our location off 1431 in Jonestown. I do enjoy reading about the Domain-style commercial spaces planned in North Austin. I hope that they can be filled with accessible and affordable stores that grow our identity as a community. I would prefer to have a walkable pedestrian-friendly shopping experience much like the Bell Boulevard planned space coming to Cedar Park than the soulless strip-mall haphazardly build along major roadways.
We’ve been impressed with Blue Hound Books, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Blue Hound Books is the only local independent bookstore in NW Austin off of 1431 outside of Cedar Park in Jonestown, Texas. We offer new books, used books and a free book depot for old or unwanted books. We host and provide space for all sorts of events from storytime to open mic poetry and arts and crafts.
We are in our first year of operation and we are growing with our community’s help. We love recommendations of new books and donations of used books. We also are supporters of self-published and new authors looking to promote their books. We are looking to create a substantial selection of self-published authors, poets, and artists.
What we pride ourselves on is the personal touch of book buying. We offer pre-order deals and services, shipping and gift wrapping, and custom curated libraries for kids and home libraries. We do book searches and buying for rare and collectable books as well.
Blue Hound Books is designed to be like family. We designed the store to be like a living room family feel when you come in. We also strive for personal customer service with timely and friendly communication. You will feel like you are welcome in and able to stay as long as you want.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Support us by purchasing books in store at our location at 18360 FM 1431, Jonestown, Texas 78645. Or by shopping online at www.bluehoundbooks.com
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Blue Hound Books and tell all your friends and family about us!
Join us for our events or request a book fair for your business or school!
Email us at info@bluehoundbooks.com
Contact Info:
- Email: info@bluehoundbooks.com
- Website: www.bluehoundbooks.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bluehoundbooks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluehoundbooks
- Other: www.bookshop.org/shop/bluehoundbooks
