Flickr: Abby and Sara

Trident Booksellers & Cafe

New/Used: new books

Web site: http://www.tridentbookscafe.com/

Amenities: wifi, food/drink

Description: A Bit About The Trident
Trident Booksellers and Cafe was opened in Boston in the fall of 1984 at this location by Bernie and Gail Flynn. They moved to the Boston area in 1983 from Vermont where Bernie owned a bookstore. That store was started in 1976 at the end of the "hippie turned back-to-the-lander, turned Buddhist, turned entrepreneur" sort of era. The immediate motivation for opening a business in Boston was the birth of a son and the concurrent realization that making a living was not optional in the 80's. The bookstore-cafe idea took shape because at that time in Boston there were very few places to sit down with a fine cup of coffee and linger over a conversation or a book. There were grand ideas and very little capital and a location that was considered the wrong end of Newbury Street. A mixed beginning at best. Now over twenty years later, "The Trident" as we all call it is still alive and beginning to evolve into a place with character. The constant struggle with money continues unabated but the pleasure and potential of The Trident bring intangible rewards. In a sense, The Trident is trying to redefine what success in business might be like following the Buddhist notion of right livelihood. This is not so easy since we exist in a capitalistic society where the accumulation of money is the basic motivation for nearly everyone. The landlord wants more money every year, the staff would like more, and the government especially likes to get more and more from small businesses. The competition generally has more money and would like to "take a larger share of the market," a business euphemism for making other stores go out of business. So the question is how can a small "Mom and Pop" business survive in a high rent, high traffic, high crime urban center in the face of Big business competition and at the same time remain true to the principles of right livelihood? The simple answer is You, the customer, because if you like what we do, you will come back and hopefully make The Trident part of your life. The more difficult answer at The Trident is to stay open to You, our customers, work really hard, take risks all the time, and continue to change by remaining true to ourselves. We at The Trident strive to create an atmosphere of openness and genuineness. A place where people are welcomed and they can be themselves with dignity. Our products, both in the bookstore and on the menu in the cafe, are reflections of our attempts to follow this prescription for success of the right kind. We at The Trident thank you for your support.

Added by: ablachly.  Contacted: Not contacted.  Venue ID: 6406