RETIREMENT STORIES - Books, Wine & My Harley: Mark Smith

Books, Wine & My Harley: Mark Smith

By Lisa Raffo, Editorial Director

Steven and Anita's retirement job, has left them with more time for fun, like riding their Harley on Friday afternoons.
See: What is a Retirement Job?

For Mark Smith, it all came down to books, wine and motorcycles.

The seasoned attorney had just retired after more than 20 years in a career that spanned Native American legal aid, consumer protection and medical malpractice. And he wanted to hone in on what really mattered to him.

He took about four months off to catch up on some home improvement projects and consider his options.

Then, he decided it was time to get back to work. He wanted to find a part-time job that resonated with him. “The next thing I did,” explains Smith, “was make a list of the kinds of things I was interested in.”

He had always loved books. “I was a literature person,” says Smith. And he and his wife had made a hobby of traveling around to different wineries. “We traveled around to probably 100,” says Smith. And he enjoyed riding motorcycles, so he added motorcycles to his list in the hopes of finding a job that would entitle him to some discounts.

From there, he started walking the streets. “I went around to different places that I thought I might want to work at,” explains Smith. He honed in on retail opportunities in small, independently owned bookstores, wine shops and motorcycle dealers.

He went door-to-door with his resume and faced many a rejection. “Generally speaking,” says Smith, “I would say my age was a disadvantage. I would walk in off the street and say I was interested in a part-time job. More than half the places I went to would have no openings. They were employing generally younger employees.”

And then he walked into Shakespeare’s, one of the largest independently owned used bookstores in the Midwest U.S. They weren’t really hiring either. But, Smith explains, “this one woman told me my resume looked exactly like the owner’s. And she said she wouldn’t mind a day off a week. So I met with the owner.”

Before long, Smith was working there 4 days a week. That was a bit more than he wanted, so he talked with two former colleagues who were also retirees. And they each agreed to pick up some of Smith’s hours.

Smith said he and the owner of Shakespeare’s had had a conversation about the dependability of older workers. So Smith made a suggestion. “I said, why don’t you hire people who are older and know something about books and live in the community? So there wouldn’t be any reason why they wouldn’t be around for several years.” Smith envisioned a group of several retirees divvying up the workweek, and picking up extra shifts for each other when one wanted a day off.

Smith says the store now employees five retirees who all work one or two days a week. And when any of them wants to go on vacation, they talk with each other to arrange coverage for the shifts they’ll miss. “The owner is very happy. He has no personnel problems anymore,” says Smith.

They also bring a mature perspective and breadth of knowledge to the job. “When someone comes in and asks if we have anything on Seneca, we can ask if they mean the Roman Senator, the Indian Chief or the lake in New York,” Smith relates.

Smith ended up adding another day of work back into his schedule when a wine shop he applied to during his job search called and offered him one day a week.

He feels he has now achieved the right balance. “It’s arranged right now as about as ideal as it could be. I work about 24 hours a week.” And both employers are flexible about vacation time.

He also loves the products he’s working with. “I virtually can pick up any book in the bookstore and borrow it or read it. It’s almost like having a personal library. And with wine the more I learn about it, the more I enjoy it. I can taste probably 30-40 different wines a week. I get a chance to sample,” says Smith.

Smith says friends and former colleagues have had a mixed reaction to his new jobs. “Some people say, ‘what in god’s name are you doing? You’re a lawyer, you should be consulting.’ But most people get wistful and say, ‘boy, I’d love to do something like that.’”

Smith says he’s discovered another added benefit to working in retirement. “The more I work, the less I’m out on the streets spending money. It’s a hidden monetary benefit.”

And what about the motorcycles?

Well, Smith did not get a job working for any dealers. So that’s one interest he has to pursue outside of work. His wife bought him a new Harley touring bike a few years ago. And they put about 17,000 miles on it during last year alone.

With two new grandbabies and another on the way, they’ve got to keep moving. And what could be cooler than grandma and grandpa pulling up for a visit on their Harley?

Lisa Raffo is Editorial Director of RetirementJobs.com and a popular freelance writer. Lisa has worked extensively in radio and television news. She was with CNN in New York and Washington as a writer, editor, producer and executive producer. She has also worked with CBS and Fox affiliates as well as Voice of America and MacNeil-Lehrer productions.