Abstract Running an individual bookstore is not an easy task. And then to do it in a profitable way is even harder. In this study you will read about what matters to the profitability in a bookstore. There are several aspects of this but it may be of interest to know what is affecting most of a bookstore's profitability. These three theories were researched by examination of previous research. The theories were then compared to the empirical research of an individual bookstore. Developing the empirical research qualitative and quantitative data collection methods was used. Further on the analysis compared the theories to the empirical research. The results of the comparison were   recommendations to the individual bookstore, and an expansion of a previous theoretical model. The development was named "the bookstore square" which emphasizes the price and assortment materiality in a bookstore and the influencing factors as customers and competitors. This modification makes the model more adaptive to an individual bookstore.