Alumni Spotlight: An interview with Laura Kendall ’16, Owner of Second Flight Books and Main Street Books
by Kellie Stewart
April 2024
What inspired you to pursue your MFA in Creative Writing?
Laura Kendall (LK:) In my undergraduate years, I was a journalism major, but I realized during that time that I much preferred having a bit more breathing room in my writing than I would have as a reporter. I didn’t want to just state the facts, but also think about how they fit into my life and the lives of others. I had thought about pursuing an MFA upon graduation, but at the time, things didn’t really fall into place. I graduated into the recession in 2009, and it was a rough time to come into adulthood. I felt pretty hopeless career wise, but ended up with a job within Indiana Medicaid where I eventually was an expert on Medicaid Eligibility Policy for the entire state. I excelled at my job, but didn’t want to end up there forever. I started looking into MFA programs and imagining a life that was centered around something I actually enjoyed. I continued to work there while I was pursuing my MFA, and the creativity of the program really balanced out the rigidity of the policy I was explaining and interpreting throughout the day. I often spent my lunch break working on writing projects.
What do you remember most from your time at Butler?
LK: My favorite memories of the program mostly involve the deep friendships I made with some folks within the program. Especially within the creative non-fiction track, we were reading very personal things from folks on a weekly basis, and I think that’s a natural breeding ground for intense and real relationships. We used to joke about how our workshop friends knew all our deep, dark secrets, even things that our partners and close friends weren’t privy to. I also cherish my memories working on Booth, and the many impassioned arguments we had about submissions. I learned so much from that whole experience.
How did you decide to open a bookstore?
LK: When I graduated with my MFA in 2016, I was applying for some teaching jobs and marketing jobs, and just seeing what was out there. In September 2016, my husband saw an article about a used bookstore closing in Lafayette, IN and jokingly asked, “Wanna own a bookstore?” I realized it actually sounded fun, so we contacted the owners to see if it was possible for us to take over or at least buy some of their inventory. We had lived in Lafayette prior to moving to Indianapolis, so we knew we liked the area and were willing to return to it. We ended up working things out to where we did purchase most of their remaining used book inventory and shelving, and then we scrambled to figure out where to house it all. In a perfect world, I would have loved to have a bit more time to plan things out, but because of some time restrictions in getting the books out of their original location, we ended up opening a business in less than two months. When we first started, Google was my best friend. I had to learn a lot of things on the job, but I’ve learned SO MUCH along the way.
What does the name Second Flight mean to you?
LK: Honestly, I really love owls, and I wanted to find a shop name where I could incorporate an owl into the logo and overall theme, and I started brainstorming with that in mind, but personally, Second Flight was a nod to this new journey I was taking, a second chance at a life that was more meaningful to me. But also, at the time we were going to be selling primarily secondhand books, so it worked on that level as well. A book’s second (or third! or fourth!) flight or adventure.
You now have two locations in Lafayette with Main Street Books. How did you decide on a second location?
LK: Our reasoning behind having the second shop is actually rather sad. Main Street Books had opened in downtown Lafayette a year and a half before we opened Second Flight, and the owner, Tamzin, was our friendly competition. She was kind enough to give us what advice she could when we opened, although she was still somewhat new to the industry at the time, and we tried to support each other’s shops when we could. Unfortunately, Tamzin was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in Fall 2021. Her husband, Ted, and a small staff were running the shop during her illness, and continued to do so afterward, but Ted approached us with his intention to sell the shop in Spring of 2022, hinting that we might be the right people to hand the shop over to. We (my husband and I) didn’t want to see the shop close, and we thought it would be fun to have another shop in a different area where we could have a somewhat different approach. We took over the shop in Fall of 2022, and we have made quite a few changes, but ultimately we think Tamzin would be happy to see that the shop is still here (and growing!). Main Street Books was even a finalist for Publisher’s Weekly Bookstore of the Year in 2023.
What’s your experience of owning and running two bookstores?
LK: Owning bookstores is VERY COOL, but the work never ends. And though I read a lot, almost none of it is done when I’m at the shop. As both stores have grown, we’ve expanded our offerings, and we now sell a significant amount of new books and gifts alongside used books, which means as the buyer for our shop, I spend a lot of time reviewing publisher catalogs and ordering new stock. It’s wild how my brain has become a database of books and titles that I may have never read, but could still tell you a bit about. I didn’t realize quite how data-heavy it all can be. I’m often reviewing analytics for which sections are selling well or looking at book sales for comparable books when I’m reviewing catalogs. I love being part of the publishing world and the friendships I’ve made with other booksellers, authors, and publisher reps. And my customers! So many have become dear friends over the years. We still have a very small, mostly part time team for the shops, so often I am filling too many roles, and I’m still working to find balance as a business owner.
In fall 2023, several new independent bookstores opened in Indianapolis–many with a connection to the Butler MFA community. Do you have connections with fellow alums who have also opened bookstores?
LK: Embarrassingly, I haven’t yet made it to Taylor [Lewandowski ’18]’s shop yet, though it is on my agenda to get to Dream Palace and many of the others that have recently popped up in Indianapolis in the near future. I do know Taylor though, and he visited Second Flight not long after we opened, so I was excited when I saw he was opening a shop, and I’ve been following along via Instagram. I’m also looking forward to checking out Golden Hour Books [owned by former Butler English professor Sara Gelston Somers], as it’s in my old neighborhood. I’m planning to make a weekend of it with some book club friends and visit as many Indianapolis shops as we can! It’s exciting to see so many all of a sudden!