## About Long Dark House

Long Dark House is an independent bookstore in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, specializing in horror, science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, and other strange stories. We believe these stories are for everyone - from lifelong genre fans to curious readers discovering something unexpected for the first time.

More than a bookstore, Long Dark House is being built as a welcoming literary and community space. Through thoughtful curation, author events, book clubs, youth programming, workshops, and community gatherings, we hope to create a place where readers can discover new voices, connect with one another, and experience a little magic.

We are especially committed to making room on our shelves and in our programming for authors and stories that have historically received less space, while creating an environment where customers, authors, artists, and team members feel genuinely welcomed and respected.

At Long Dark House, we believe a great bookstore should feel like somewhere you want to linger, explore, return to .. and maybe leave with something a little strange.

Part-Time Shift Supervisor / Keyholder

Long Dark House | Old Town Alexandria, VA

Full-Time | Approximately 35–40 hours/week

Pay: $21–$23/hour, based on experience

Long Dark House is an independent bookstore in Old Town Alexandria specializing in horror, science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, dark academia, folklore, graphic novels, and other strange stories.

We’re looking for a Part-Time Shift Supervisor / Keyholder to become part of the operational backbone of our growing store.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who is comfortable independently running the store, supporting and coaching booksellers, keeping daily operations moving, and jumping between customer service, books, inventory, administrative work, and the unexpected things that come with running a busy independent bookstore.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Lead the Store

• Independently open and close the bookstore
• Serve as the leader on duty when the owner or manager is not present
• Provide warm, knowledgeable customer service
• Handle customer concerns and make reasonable in-the-moment decisions
• Maintain a welcoming, organized, safe, and guest-ready environment
• Complete opening, closing, and shift turnover responsibilities

Support + Coach the Team

• Provide day-to-day direction to booksellers
• Help train new employees on store procedures and systems
• Coach and redirect team members when needed
• Delegate tasks and follow up to ensure completion
• Help create consistency between shifts
• Communicate important operational issues to leadership

Inventory + Bookselling

• Receive and process incoming book and non-book inventory
• Verify pricing, barcodes, and product information
• Help organize, shelve, face-out, and maintain merchandise
• Assist with inventory counts and discrepancies
• Develop strong familiarity with our collection
• Make thoughtful book recommendations and help customers discover something unexpected

Administrative + Operational Support

• Complete assigned administrative tasks during shifts
• Maintain shift reports and document important store activity
• Track special customer requests, author/visitor notes, inventory issues, and follow-ups
• Support basic POS and operational troubleshooting
• Help maintain store standards, checklists, and procedures

SCHEDULE + AVAILABILITY

This is a PT-time retail leadership position, and flexibility is important.

Applicants must be willing and able to work a combination of:

• Opening and closing shifts
• Full weekends when needed
• Evenings
• Holidays
• Special events and high-traffic periods

The Shift Supervisor must be comfortable opening or closing and operating the store independently when scheduled.

Our regular store hours are Tuesday–Sunday, 10 AM–8 PM, with additional time scheduled before opening and after closing as needed.

YOU MIGHT BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU...

• Have previous retail, hospitality, bookstore, or customer-facing leadership experience
• Are dependable and comfortable making decisions independently
• Can lead without needing to micromanage
• Communicate clearly and respectfully
• Enjoy coaching and helping others become stronger at their jobs
• Are organized and can move between customer-facing and administrative work
• Notice what needs to be done and take initiative
• Are comfortable learning new technology and POS/inventory systems
• Can remain calm and thoughtful during busy periods
• Genuinely enjoy books and helping people discover them
• Appreciate horror, sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, or strange stories—even if you don't know every corner of our collection yet

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This is an active retail position. Team members should be able to spend extended periods standing and moving throughout the store, regularly shelve books, bend/reach as needed, and safely move boxes of books and merchandise with or without reasonable accommodation.

ABOUT LONG DARK HOUSE

We're still a young bookstore, which means we're building systems while we're also building community.

The right person for this role should be excited by that.

You won't walk into a giant corporate operations manual where every possible situation has already been answered. You'll help us strengthen our routines, improve our processes, and create a bookstore that can be part of Alexandria for a very long time.

Our values are simple:

Welcome People Into the Strange.

Make Room at the Table.

Create a Little Magic.

Community Over Transaction.

We're looking for someone who can help bring those values to life while also helping us run a thoughtful, organized, and sustainable business.

Long Dark House

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

Strange stories live here.