Two Atlanta film professionals pivot during strikes to run a bookstore

“The fact is, there are so many things we can’t control,” said Tyler Smith, executive producer. “So we decided to do something we could.”

In September, the Smiths will open Wild Aster Books on Chamblee Dunwoody Way. Although the storefront is in the early stages of construction, the couple plans to create a child-friendly environment with spaces where customers can linger, such as tables in the back for reading, and a stage for events at the back of the store, ranging from book signings. to children’s puppet shows. The store will sell books for all ages.

It’s an experience many of their favorite bookstores don’t offer, Tyler Smith said, who tend to focus solely on selling books rather than building community.

“There’s this idea of ​​third place,” Grace Smith said. “You have your job, your house and the third place you hang out. This is what we want this bookstore to be for readers and people with families. Especially post-COVID, people are hungry for this type of environment.

Find another point of sale

The Smiths are among thousands of film industry workers who were forced to change direction during last year’s Hollywood labor unrest, which lasted from May to November and largely suspended production across the UNITED STATES. It was the first time in 60 years that the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA held strikes simultaneously. Both were pushing for increased residual payments from streaming services and protections against artificial intelligence.

Although the crew members were not represented by the WGA or SAG-AFTRA, the work stoppage affected them as well. Bob Beitcher, president and CEO of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which provides financial assistance to industry workers in need, called them “forgotten victims” of strikes in an open letter last year.

To pay the bills, some began bartending or serving in restaurants. Others sought work in non-union projects, left the industry altogether, or, like the Smiths, dipped into their savings to stay afloat.

Credit: [email protected]

Credit: [email protected]

“The strikes resolved late last year, but production did not resume as quickly as many had expected, leaving many people still out of work.

The Smiths have no plans to leave the film industry entirely. The bookstore offers them a reprieve from the norm of working 12 hours a day during a production, a demanding schedule for professionals with children. It also gives them an outlet as the industry faces headwinds that could further cut production, such as studios and streamers spending less on content or moving production offshore to cut costs.

“It’s hard. We have kids and you want to be able to feel like your foundation is there,” Tyler Smith said. “That’s why we want to open the store. It’s something we can control, unlike the contract negotiations every three years which could explode.

“Chamblee needs books”

Their two backgrounds have equipped them with the tools necessary to manage a bookstore.

Grace Smith uses her experience in art direction and world building to design the space, which will take inspiration from Diagon Alley, the fictional shopping district from Harry Potter, and the Victorian attic from Little Women.

Tyler Smith, who oversees the production budget and logistics, worked on the business plan. He constructed the budget using the same software as the projects he helped produce.

One of the reasons they chose Chamblee as a location plays out like the set-up for a good joke: Two parents walk into a neighborhood bar – er – restaurant, next to an empty commercial space.

“There were eight strollers and a take-a-book and leave-a-book section in the back that was completely empty. And there were two kids fighting over the torn blanket of one of them,” Tyler Smith said. “We said, yes, Chamblee needs books.”

Finding the right space was a longer process than the Smiths expected. The owner of the first space they considered in Chamblee pulled out before they could sign their lease, delaying their planning process for several months.

The couple instead landed in a storefront in a more than half-century-old building that once housed a doctor’s office. As if it were Kismet, the Smiths were told that every baby born in Chamblee for several decades was born in this building, making it an ideal location for a bookstore with an emphasis on children’s programs.