INSPIR ING WOMEN
Juanita Stein AFTER OPENING HER BOOKSTORE, THE FORMER MAGAZINE EDITOR IS ON A MISSION TO BUILD COMMUNITY
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hen Juanita Stein talks about Between the Lines, it is clear that her bookstore has been a labor of love many years in the making. “The idea originally popped into my head about 12 years ago. From the beginning I have wanted my store to be a space where people could disconnect from digital life and find community,” she says. Architects Salvador Reyes Ríos and Josefina Larraín Lagos had told Juanita of their plans to restore their building on Calle 62 and convert it into Plaza Carmesí. “I made my business plan back in 2012 and we knew we wanted to work together, but the timing wasn’t quite right. When I bumped into them again in 2019, they were just completing the renovation and the financial gods were smiling on me,” she says. This allowed Juanita to continue as editorial director at the venerable Yucatán Today. “I am glad the bookstore evolved later because I still hadn’t fulfilled all my goals at the magazine. I’m happy I had 11 years there. It was where I was meant to be.” Between the Lines opened March 4, 2020. And we all know what followed shortly after. In response, Juanita sold online and offered home deliveries. “My first year wasn’t what I expected it to be, but I powered through it and discovered that bookselling is actually a relatively good business to be in during a pandemic,” she says. Now, Between the Lines is thriving and living its original vision. Part of her community outreach is a wish-list tab on its website that allows customers to purchase books for the Merida English Library, with which she collaborates often. Juanita has advice for women who want to turn their passion into business. “First, think what it is that you see for yourself in your wildest dreams. Put it on paper without thinking about finances. Next, make a mission statement of what you want to achieve. Only after all that should you think about the logistics. Make a business plan and get the expertise of those who have gone before you. At every stage ask yourself if this fulfills your vision and mission. Every decision must be aligned with those two intangibles. And lastly, I would say, it’s never too late to start, and I am proof of that.”
BY MAGGIE ROSADO van der GRACHT PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ
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Juanita Stein contributes to Yucatán Magazine’s book column, which appears on Page 13. ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE
