DATE: Monday, April 28, 1997                TAG: 9704250826

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: SERVICE Q & A 

SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   65 lines

BOOKBINDING SHOP MERGES OLD INDUSTRY, NEW METHODS

There are only 32 certified library bookbinders in the country, according to the Library Binding Institute. Alain Roullet, a former Merchant Marine and French Navy diver, is one of them. As the owner and operator of Long's-Roullet Bookbinders on Monticello Avenue, Roullet and his 10 employees repair and bind about 1,000 books weekly for universities, medical institutions, public libraries and schools. Roullet, 52 and a native of Paris, learned his trade in New Jersey. In 1975, he moved to Norfolk and started Long's Bookbinders with Bill Long, founder of Long's Religious Supply. Roullet bought the other half of the business in 1991 when Long retired and renamed it Long's-Roullet Bookbinders.

What brought you to this area?

I was working in New Jersey and we used to come down here every weekend to go camping. We wanted to move here, but there weren't any jobs for bookbinders. We looked in the telephone book under bookbinding, and saw Mr. Long's name. I sent him a letter telling him that we were thinking about moving to Virginia Beach and were wondering if there were any jobs. Shortly afterwards, I met him in Atlantic City and discussed my plan to run a business with him. In less than 10 minutes, he said, ``Let's do it.''

How do you become certified?

You have to apply for a membership to the Library Binding Institute and send samples of your work to them. Then they investigate your business to make sure you have the right equipment and adequate supplies. From there, they test your product - they put your book in a tumbling machine like a dryer for about 15 minutes to make sure it won't fall apart.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently when you started the business?

Have more patience. There are a lot of long hours involved. And there is always some concern in the beginning about whether you're going to make it because money is so tight. It took a long time to get some kind of security, to be more stable. Mr. Long's experience on budgeting and managing the money was very important to the success of the business.

What advice would you offer to someone starting a business?

When you run your own business, you cannot be afraid to come in on a holiday or a Saturday. The business has to come first.

What are some of the things you like about this business?

Customers are happy and pleased when they pick up their books. When you go to the library, you see the students using your product. You can see your product on the shelf year after year.

How has it changed over the years?

A lot of steps are processed by computer, like the stamping of the information for the cover. We used to set all this information by hand with type, but now it's all computerized. Also, sales of the past weren't done like they are today. I used to go door to door offering the bookbinding service. Today, people communicate through e-mail so we have been able to do a lot of marketing through newsgroups and our web page.

What about bookbinding in the future?

I would not advise somebody to go into this business because it's too costly and very labor-intensive. It's not a thing to invest in now if you are looking for large profits fast. MEMO: If you have an idea or know of anyone in the business community

who would make an interesting business profile, please fax your ideas to

Melissa Gundel at 446-2531. ILLUSTRATION: Alain Roullet

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