Voices Discovered: Angel Schroeder
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy books. And that’s kind of the same thing.” – Anonymous
We have the perfect place for you to buy a little happiness: Sunrise Books. Remember that movie “You’ve Got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? A romantic comedy about business rivals: He was heir to Fox Books, a massive chain bookstore in New York. She ran The Shop Around The Corner, a quaint independent bookstore her mother started. We were all rooting for Meg and her shop to stay in business, weren’t we?
Enter Angel Schroeder, shown in photos throughout this article, owner of Sunrise Books. We felt like she was giving High Point our very own “Shop Around the Corner” and we could not be more delighted to invite her into the neighborhood! And an exciting local’s update: Angel will be relocating her store to a larger space on Main Street later this fall!
We were so excited to recently visit with Angel about what she does both in and out of her friendly neighborhood bookstore.
Q: How did you wind up in the book business?
A. I have always been a book lover, and my degree is in English. Also, I am too scatterbrained to write the Great American Novel, so this is the next best thing.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q: What type of career would you have in an alternate universe?
A. I’d probably be a house painter (interior). It’s ridiculous, but I can pop in a podcast and start painting and the world just goes away. I’m glad I didn’t discover this until after I went to college.
Q: What do you wish you knew when first starting that you know now?
A. I think I underestimated just how hard this is for an introvert, and just how much marketing is necessary. I love talking about books, but when it comes to self-promotion, I crawl back in my shell and hope for the best. I’m working on it.
Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
A. I hiked 23 miles of trails in Hanging Rock State Park in one day. It’s a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that happens once a year.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q: Best career advice you have ever received?
A. Be true to yourself. Do it your way.
Q: Favorite book (business or pleasure)?
A. Are you kidding me? Let’s say “Fair and Tender Ladies,” by Lee Smith. But I’m pretty sure I’d give a different answer tomorrow. Or later today.
Q: Best vacation you have taken?
A. The DIY honeymoon my husband and I took in 1991, driving a borrowed 1985 Chrysler New Yorker around the Southwest for two weeks with very little planning and even less money.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q: Where would we find you on a Sunday afternoon?
A. Depending on the weather, either on my screened porch or the living room couch with a book.
Q: What motivates you?
A. My kids (both girls). I want to be role model for them. Corny but true.
Q: Your go-to cocktail (or mocktail)?
A. A lime rickey, sans gin.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q: What makes you truly happy?
A. A Sunday afternoon nap. With my dog.
Q: As you know, HPU is right here with incredible students looking to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams – what three pieces of advice would you give them?
A.
- Take an accounting course, whether college level or not.
- Do your homework before you start.
- Ask for help when you need it.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
High Point Favorites
Q: Where do you like to grab a cup of coffee?
A. 83 Custom Coffee, Debeen , Krispy Kreme (it’s got to be drive-thru)
Q: Restaurant you can’t get enough of?
A. Jimmy’s Pizza, 98 Asian Bistro, Sumela’s, Fixin’s
Q: Local shops doing everything right?
A. OrganicAF, Meg’s, The Market
Q: Favorite place to grab a drink?
A. I don’t drink beer, but I love hanging out at Brown Truck Brewery, and their water is delicious. 🙂 If they ever get a soda fountain, I may never leave.
Q: Excluding yours, what High Point company or business do you admire the most?
A. Penny Path Cafe. It’s a successful business forged out of straight-up moxie.
Q: Where would you tell a first-time visitor to High Point to go and why?
A. Take a tour of HPU. It’s amazing. There is just no other place like it. It’s why I’m so excited about the downtown project. Mr. Qubein doesn’t do anything halfway. “Mediocre” is a dirty word over there.
Photography by ZoZo Photography
Q: What are the highlights and challenges of owning/operating your Business in High Point?
A. I’d say my biggest challenge is getting the word out. There is just no one news source that reaches everybody, like the local paper and radio station used to do. Social media is hit or miss, even with a paid ad, but it’s still the best way (I think). The highlights? Being able to give my daughter her first job, reading anything I want without making excuses, meeting other book lovers and writers, and being a part of High Point’s next act.
It was a pleasure speaking with Angel and we are honored to share her story here. Please be sure to stop by her bookstore Sunrise Books on Hillcrest Place, located just across Main Street from Brown Truck Brewery! We promise it will be worth it!
Sunrise Books – 7 Hillcrest Place – 336-397-3755
And Friends! If you like what you are discovering (see what we did there??) please do share with your friends, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, sign up to receive our blog (we promise we don’t share your email)! The more we spread the love about our beautiful city, these amazing businesses we have will feel the love too! Thank you for reading!
Discover our High Points,
The HP Discovered Team