I’m Cherry Martinez, a bookseller based out of Greeley Colorado. I am the general manager of The Midnight Oil Bookstore and buy and sell antiquarian books for our rare book extension, Belinda’s Book Bazaar. I also write blogs about books I'm interested in on my website Cherry Picked Books.
Before starting the Diversity Initiative Discovery Program, I was excited to have the opportunity to meet with the book curators for institutions. As a new young antiquarian seller, the possibility of selling to institutions such as the Houghton Library at Harvard felt quite alien. I was also looking forward to getting to talk with experienced sellers about the trade. Even though I have been an active bookseller for three years, I have only been aware of the world of antiquarian books for a short time. 
The multitude of perspectives we were able to gather during the program was incredibly valuable. We got to meet with private collectors, antiquarian booksellers, and library curators big and small. Their perspectives aided my professional outlook of the trade greatly. Being able to hear firsthand how these buyers find sellers and how those relationships look was incredible. The added conversations from my fellow participants also greatly aided these meetings since we all had different goals within the trade. The help from active sellers was great in understanding all the ways people sell and enter the trade. As many of them said, “There are as many ways to sell a book as there are book sellers.”
One of the most valuable skills I gained was learning how to network and mingle as these book professionals do. Their minds work overtime when talking to each other. They instantly build connections that even if you two aren't a great match professionally they may be able to point you in a better direction. For me the hands-on ability to do that will be with me through my entire professional career. And I can only hope I can build those connections to aid other sellers as well as they have for me.
The ABAA Diversity Initiative crafted an intensive program that gave me an incredible way in. I think beginning entry into the trade is intimidating, especially for those of us who are from diverse backgrounds. Being from a Chicano family my ability to find similar mentors in the trade has been very limited. Even more so on the higher level. So the fact that many members of the trade I met are enthusiastic about having more younger, and diverse members is motivating. I don’t know how I would have otherwise found such a great introduction into the trade, if not for this program.
This week has greatly confirmed for me my want to be part of the Antiquarian Book Trade. I’ll continue using the skills and connections I gained to grow my shop’s skills, and growth towards being an ABAA member. This program also helped me realize that not only do I want to help Belinda’s Book Bazaar better curate its collection. But I also want to eventually strike out on my own and be a seller one day.
One day I aim to be a leading voice in the new generation of antiquarian booksellers and help guide those who will be newer than myself down similar paths. Also, to any future participants entering this program. I will give you the best advice I can, being a young bookseller myself. During your career and especially this program there will always be more to learn. So don’t be afraid to ask questions every possible minute you can until you realize you are the one being asked the questions. Then ask a few more.
For what I will be working on now, my colleague Pablo Guzman and I are embarking on curating a Chicano selection, as well as a catalog to match in the upcoming months. We hope to offer fresh stock and become a new hub for conversation around these materials within the trade.
A huge thank you to Xin Zhao, James Goldwasser, and my fellow participants Grace Kuhlman, and Madeline Huh. As well as all the volunteers at the fair, and libraries that we visited. I can’t wait to see you all again! I can only hope that I can one day help introduce others to the trade as I was during this program.
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