Joshua Gruft – Paper Moon Books

Joshua Gruft – Paper Moon Books by Katie Hull.

As a third generation Troylet, I have witnessed numerous small businesses come and go in this scrappy town. When I was a teen one of my favorite things to do was to ride the CDTA from my home in North Troy to the small shops downtown.  It is always difficult to see a place you really enjoyed, end up failing. Word of mouth works wonders in a town this size. I discovered this gem of a store and decided I would do whatever I could to make sure it was not another story of a business that came and went as fast as it appeared. It is a privilege to recommend a business you believe in. In March 2024, Joshua Gruft opened Paper Moon and it quickly became a place I believed in.

Paper Moon is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it indie bookshop located on 4^th Street in Historic Downtown Troy. Showcasing a variety of local, national and world talent amongst numerous mediums, Paper Moon is a vibe, not just a destination.

Tapping into a new scene, the evening crowd, with all shows ending around 10pm. This convenient and brilliant scheduling adds to the normal happy hour only offerings by hosting intimate and experimental events of all kinds. These events are offered for little or no cover charge, removing a common barrier in the current economy.

Paper Moon reminds me of not knowing how much you were missing out on something, until you get to experience it. When I was still in High School, I would occasionally purchase Vogue UK at the Russell Sage College bookstore. Prior to March that was really my only experience with foreign and unique literature.

If I have kept you this long. You might be thinking, “Troy already has a bookstore.” We do have businesses that offer great selections of classic literature and New York Times

Bestsellers, but that was what I was tired of reading. Troy desperately needed a place that shakes things up a bit. A place where creativity thrives and is encouraged.

On an eerily warm fall day, I recorded and conducted a semi-spontaneous interview with the owner, curator and all-around creative genius behind Paper Moon, Joshua Gruft.  Gruft requires no introduction as he is widely known in the Capital District music scene. Joshua is a multi-talented musician who has been performing and organizing shows since 2001. In addition to his impressive instrumental abilities, he has a large following DJing under the name, DJ Mercy.

Wrapping up a short synopsis on an impressive creative and professional resume. It is important to note Gruft’s work in independent magazine publishing. His first ‘zine endeavor, Hyper Saturation, was cranked out on a bi-monthly basis, self-funded, for an impressive two year run. His newest printing project, Paper Moon Magazine, has been equally well received. Three issues have been printed, all three selling out. The first printing of the latest issue sold out in just one week.

As the sun slipped behind the slowly decaying atrium, we dove into a conversation on the little things that set this small business apart, in a big way. Josh got candid on inspiration, trusting your intuition and The Golden Rule.

During the interview Josh managed to sell books and hang art for the tiny art show he is collaborating with other local businesses on, while perched atop a 6-foot ladder. Proving that he is learning how to master this whole, multi-tasking thing.

RRX:What is the first piece of literature you remember seeing?

JG: My first encounter with print, media, books, magazines- was at Colson’s in downtown Albany. A corner store where they had a ton of magazines. They used to have comic book spinner racks, so, yeah I used to get comic books and magazines from that place for as long as I can remember.… just like Spiderman, Superman, X-Men, I was like 6 years old in the early 90s, so that was like 92, Spiderman was pretty bad ass. So I was definitely inspired by that. It was just a great era to grow up in, because there was pretty much comic books everywhere. In the corner store, at the drug store – there was just comic books everywhere you looked. I never really followed one series, I kind of just picked up random covers, like whatever I thought looked cool. And then I would just have stacks of them in my closet, I would just be able to go in there at night and just fall into comic book world.

RRX: So then would you say that your first experience with literature was also linked to art as well? Viewing the comics at eye level as a child, did the art grab your attention? I mean at some point you would have been unable to read. Do you think that art and literature, the arts in general, do you think they all kind of are connected on a certain level?

JG: No, definitely, you are right, I was attracted to these comic books not for the stories really, just for the art. There was just, yeah, that is what brought me into the world of literature. I was just inspired by these amazing artists.

RRX: Do you enjoy working for yourself?

JG: Yeah, I definitely like being my own boss (laughs).

RRX:Who is someone that you look up to, as far as work ethic? Where does yours come from? It is hard to be your own boss, because of the amount of discipline it takes. Where do you think you get that from, yourself, or have you had some good influences?

JG: It comes from years of doing a lot of different creative projects and just kind of developing over time, a work style that works for me.

RRX:As in you don’t over commit? Would you say you can make choices based on years of trial and error?

JG: Right, yeah exactly. Then, some inspirations are Max Wolff over there at Mallo’s. His work ethic is some of the most impressive that I’ve ever seen and his determination to just stick with quality and if it’s not quality – then don’t touch it mentality is what I brought into this bookstore. Josh over at Nighthawks, the way that he keeps the quality of his food, top notch.

Louise over at Braveheart Books, how she curates her place and how she uses her bookstore.

There is going to be a book or something on every inch, every surface. I took my design inspiration from Braveheart Books definitely.

RRX: Glass half empty/half full vibes, do you think it is easier or harder to be your own boss?

JG: I kind of anticipated how much work it would take to keep this bookstore going, again, just from working on other projects. How much time it would even take to just set up for a weekend market, prepared me to open this shop. Also, I’ve been organizing events for a long time, so it’s actually been a relief to just focus on the creative side of things. Yeah, working by myself has been a unique blessing. There is nobody around to be like, “that is not a good idea”, no scapegoat. Just to be able to rely on the first or second thought that comes into my head about things like what kind of books I want in the shop or sometimes ill see a magazine so cool that ill just have to go find the information to get it in the shop ASAP. That is all stuff I really like doing. So far it’s been pretty fun.

RRX: Trusting your gut has been important in this endeavor?

JG: Oh definitely. That comes from years of throwing parties and putting out albums. You kind of cant worry about if anyone is going to like it. Throughout my music career, I kind of adapted to that style of thinking. If I like what I am doing, that is kind of all that matters.

RRX: Are you proud?

JG: Of?

RRX: Your shop.

JG: Oh yeah, I love my shop, so much.

RRX: Fiction vs. Non-Fiction? Choose your fighter.

JG: Non-fiction, all the way. That is what kind of got me into reading, like really reading and finishing books – quickly. I remember having to do a book report on someone and I did it on Jim Morrison. And I just read Jim Morrison’s book, the most quickly I’ve ever read a book before in my life. In college that kind of solidified that because I had access to so much other stuff in the library. Non-fiction, all the way. And then my fiction I get from comics pretty much. They don’t really write non-fiction comics unfortunately, but yeah.

RRX: Where do you research the goods you offer at your store?

JG: Oh, everywhere. Literally, everywhere. My favorite thing is finding bookstores from other countries or magazine shops from other countries and seeing what they carry. Because funny enough that has led me to find some American magazines I didn’t know existed. Like how I found, my store’s most popular magazine “Catnip” was from a magazine shop that offered Catnip in the UK. So, I did some research on where Catnip was published and they are based in the US. They were pretty easy to find. Also, Instagram. Sometimes books just find their way into the shop, which I really love and encourage. I have gotten some really cool, funky stuff right off the street. That is a fun part of this job I wasn’t really anticipating. Because I focus mostly on new books, but it is something I have learned to love. Getting old books.

RRX: Do you think the shift to digital art forms has made people nostalgic for tangible goods, and that’s where the appeal for your store comes from? Do you think being able to have a digital platform, like Instagram, aids in selling? Do you believe word of mouth and flyers would create the same type of buzz? Do you think the shift to digital has aided you?

JG: It has aided me a little bit. But in all honesty, it’s just being open and being consistent – in real life, that contributes more to the business side of things. With Instagram it is easy to get caught up in the numbers of it, but I have had to learn that is not what it is all about. Yes, it can be a double-edged sword, and yes there are a few people that see me on IG and come in because of that. It is the random person off the street, that is just here for the day on a business trip, that will come in. That is a big part of my customer base I have learned to count on.

RRX: How do you cultivate a safe space for artists of all mediums and backgrounds to be seen and heard?

JG: I have just been leading by example. Making sure I make a space for diverse voices. It is weird to say, but I am not targeting any one certain demographic. I guess being an alternative bookstore kind of lends itself already as a safe space for those who live an

“alternative” lifestyle. I’ve had probably the most Transgender performers here out of anywhere, and not because I reach out to them.

RRX: So, it’s like they reach out to you because they already know it’s a safe space?

JG: Yeah. I guess just leading by example. People see what I am doing and know what I am about.

RRX: We love the Golden Rule.

JG: Yeah, treat people how you would want to be treated.

RRX: What has the response from the community been in reaction to your business?

JG: It has been warm. It has been great having people of all walks of life coming here. The best part of being open is meeting your neighbors. It has been pretty positive. I invite artists here that are pretty experimental and, in the summer, I have the doors open and some pretty loud music and no one has told me anything. Then again, I don’t stay open too late. People have been liking it.

RRX: How do you balance your own creativity with being able to run a profitable business? You are a DJ, a musician, a person – how do you make time for your own artistic efforts and still run a business?

JG: It is tough. It is getting easier the more hours I kind of put into being a bookstore owner. There is less to do on the bookstore side of things than there was back in March. So now, it is getting a lot easier. The first few months were spent pouring all my creative efforts into the shop.

RRX: Lots of trial and error?

JG: Yeah, not too much thankfully.

RRX: This might be a challenge; I am looking for just one word to describe Paper Moon.

JG: (minimal thought) Funky.

This holiday season, and moving forward, I urge you to leave your home to shop. Buy local, support businesses that give back and add something to our town. Convenience will never amount to community.  They say, “you can go anywhere in a book”, so imagine the places you can go in a room packed full of them!