El Gato Negro is the first English Bookstore in Nicaragua. The store opened in October 2005, but the beginnings go back to 1992, when we first had the idea to open The Black Cat Bookstore and Cafe in a small village in the hills of Vermont. While we were making preparations for the Black Cat, another family was making preparations to open a bookstore in town - in the adjacent space! We decided to shelve our ambitions for a while, and thirteen years later, the Black Cat headed south and morphed into El Gato Negro. (By the way, the bookstore in Vermont is thriving!)

The owners have two versions of how and why we opened. The guy with the MBA will tell you that we examined the market, determined there was sufficient demand for the business, and resurrected our business plan from years ago. Actually, he would probably have a more complex explanation using the lingo he picked up at business school.

The other, more truthful explanation is that a certain individual knew she was moving to Nicaragua and went to a bookstore to load up on books (since there was not an English bookstore in Nicaragua at the time). As she headed to the checkout counter, she realized there was no way she could justify the purchase of so many books to her husband with an MBA. Acting on impulse, she called her husband at work and in one breath said, "Hi-remember-the-bookstore-coffeshop-idea-we-had-well-I-think-we-should-open-a-bookstore-in-san-juan-del-sur-it-I-think-it-would-do-really-well-I-can-take-the-books-back-if-you-don't-think-it-is-a-good-idea-bye!", knowing full well he couldn't call her back to discuss the matter further.  When said husband with an MBA came home, he found his impulsive wife dutifully cataloging the books in an Excel worksheet (which she did in part to impress her husband). "So we are really going to do this?" he asked, knowing full well that his question was already answered.