Speaking Volumes

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With eReadership on the rise, local bookshop owners share a passion for the printed word

It’s the era of the iPad, the Amazon Kindle, and the Barnes & Noble Nook. In December, USA Today offered statistics indicating that “e-book” sales have doubled in a year, accounting for roughly 20 percent of the book market. And, to bring it home, the April edition of The Atlantic placed Lexington, Kentucky at the very top of a list of American cities ranked by per capita sales of e-readers. “When you dig into the data about where Kindles are actually bought and sold,” wrote Rohin Dhar, “the most ‘cosmopolitan’ cities in America are soundly beaten by mid-sized cities in the Midwest and South.”

But as technological, cultural and marketplace shifts continue, Lexington’s used bookstore circuit is thriving and offers a variety of options for shoppers who are just not ready to give up the “tactile thing.”

Contributing writer Erik Rust visited eight shops around the city.

The Wild Fig

Ron Davis and Crystal Wilkinson stepped in at a crucial time to pick up the reins when one of the city’s longstanding bookstores shutdown. The Wild Fig has begun its legacy on Lexington’s used book circuit by rekindling the 20-year flame carried by Meadowthorpe’s Morgan-Adams bookstore.

Ron Davis had worked for the Leestown Road store for nearly two years and promptly purchased Morgan-Adams’ remaining stock and fixtures in an effort to keep the location alive. Davis, a poet and visual artist, enlisted the help of Wilkinson, herself a writer, to breathe new life into what had become a neighborhood fixture over the years.

Operating for nearly one year, The Wild Fig has quickly carved its niche in the Bluegrass book scene by focusing on book sales and “community solace and discussion,” in the words of Wilkinson.

The shop divides its stock between several dozen new books and a generous selection of used and collectible books, or “14,993 great-looking, quality used books and seven really, really ugly ones.”

While much business comes by virtue of neighborhood customers, the shop also draws a unique demographic of what Wilkinson refers to as the “literary book set,” made up of Kentucky authors and those working in and seeking high-minded literature.

Supporting local and regional writers is a main function of the shop, which hosts open-mic performances on the third Sunday of every month. All local writers and musicians are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This devotion to a tangible, human experience is what gives The Wild Fig an advantage when dealing with precarious financial forecasts regarding the book industry. Although e-readers and e-books are part of the game, Davis and Wilkinson believe in the irreplaceable ecstasy of handling and flipping through the physical pages of books.

“To me, the biggest joy of reading is that anxiety you feel before finishing a book, which you can’t get from an electronic device,” said Davis.

“There’s a great pleasure in meeting like-minded people in the bookstore,” Wilkinson said. “If the whole experience takes place online, there are no opportunities to meet strangers who share your interests.”

As for the book industry itself, Davis believes that there is plenty of life remaining.

“It is up to booksellers ourselves to inform the public that the book industry is going to be OK,” he said.

Black Swan

Take a stroll down Woodland Avenue and you will discover one of Lexington’s long-held book institutions, beckoning with its namesake black-and-white swan-silhouetted logo. Black Swan has operated for 28 years and houses an impressive collection of reading materials, from rare classics to non-fiction.

“People are always surprised at how large the store is,” said owner and book enthusiast J. Michael Courtney.

According to him, the bookstore’s inventory consists of 98 percent used books, including a selection of new releases from Kentucky authors. Black Swan exhibits an antique-store vibe, with multiple rooms stacked ceiling high with literature, showcasing many sealed glass cases abound with coveted special editions. Many treasures are on display, from signed editions to high-end collectibles.

Black Swan’s basement houses droves of overstock, but Courtney rarely allows customers a peek and maintains it as one of the store’s best-kept secrets. The sheer volume of books notwithstanding, Black Swan is dedicated to the preservation of its titles.

“We are sticklers on condition,” said Courtney. “We have no library books, and each hardcover we sell is housed in a dust jacket.”

Courtney originally enjoyed a career as a rare-books librarian and holds a master’s degree in library science. Soon after his career came to a crossroad, he decided to enter the bookselling trade, quickly realizing that the tastes and needs of the customer took precedence over personal choices.

Since his early days, the book market has witnessed numerous shifts, leading Courtney to remark in good humor that “books are becoming like buggy whips.” His distinctive offerings have kept business steady, and his shop benefits from an eclectic customer base, including walk-ins, tourists and Internet business. Black Swan also fulfills a high volume of orders from buyers and collectors overseas, which is testament to the desirability of the stock.

Courtney is quick to point out the various “cultural shifts” in the book industry from changing reading habits to the presence of e-readers, e-books and Internet vendors.

The future of books is experiencing many changes but, Courtney said, “things are always going to change and we have to adapt.”

ShambroLa

The shotgun-style home on W. Maxwell St. housing ShambroLa provides the perfect backdrop for a shop offering rare books, wood art and collectibles. The quaint historic nature of the building’s atmosphere, featuring original plank floors¸ fireplaces and ceilings, lends a warm ambiance and picturesque quality to the shopping experience at one of Lexington’s newest haunts.

Mick and Debbie Shambro, along with their daughter and shop manager Heidi Radden, own and operate ShambroLa as a family unit and “strive to give customers a warm and friendly atmosphere to browse in ... with a friendly sampling of our famous Kentucky hospitality.”

Aside from beautifully rendered wood-art portraits, clocks and various handmade ornaments, the multifaceted shop celebrates a collection of quality used books, including more than 700 first editions, many signed by household name authors. Many of these books are derived from the Shambros’ personal collection. The hardcover-dominated shelves line the walls of the shop in impressive fashion, eventually directing customer eyes to an antique case occupied with rare signed and valuable editions.

The midsection of the store features sofas and chairs for lounging and a resident “community” guitar on which people are encouraged to strike up a tune. Musicians often play here, and future plans to open a patio on the shop’s far wing will allow for outdoor events in the warmer months.

Offering more than books and art, ShambroLa serves its original Honnah-Lee Bubble Tea; a delicious mixture of a “fruity, frosty slushie” with a green-tea base. This variation on tea has been around for a short span of 30 years but is quickly catching on in Lexington, according to Radden.

The ShambroLa family believes that the shop’s novelty and their multimedia approach will allow it to exist in the local bookstore market despite the unsteadiness of the book industry.

“We are definitely trying to make our niche here in town and offer a very unique shopping destination,” Radden said. “Our customers are a great mix of readers and people just stopping by to grab some bubble tea and browse the books.”

Thrifty Bookworm

For Felice “Lisa” Porter of Allendale Drive’s Thrifty Bookworm, the dream of owning a bookshop came true and has yielded 30 years in the business. The store, now eight years in its current location, does its best to supply material that its faithful customers demand.

Porter, who came from a background in economics, has been a self-proclaimed bookworm her entire life and has parlayed a reading passion shared with her father into a perennial venture.

A majority of the Thrifty Bookworm’s inventory comprises paperbacks, with an estimated 95 percent from the fiction genre.

The store offers books for purchase and options to trade books for store credit. As with many of the used bookstores, routine customers form the backbone of her clientele. Customers of the Thrifty Bookworm often represent a demographic of 50 years and up, though Porter said that customers of varying ages grace the shop.

Romance and mystery titles account for a large portion of the selection. Porter maintains that there has been some misconception that her shop carries only romance titles, when in fact selections range from literary fiction to cookbooks and other genres, with nonfiction books representing a smaller percentage of the stock.

When asked what informs her inventory decisions, her answer is simple and what one might expect from an economically minded business owner.

“I simply go with what the customers want,” she said.

Porter is frank about the effects of electronic devices and big-box internet vendors on book businesses like hers and admits that it has affected her bottom line. She understands the marketplace but relishes the experience of physical books and the innate rewards they provide.

“When I read online, my mind stops after every sentence,” she said, “but when I have an actual book, I read away and it feels like osmosis into your brain.”

The Thrifty Bookworm’s approach to staying competitive once again looks to the personal element and the idea of human interaction. With their Coffee and Conversation series, groups gather to discuss books from certain genres, including romance or paranormal — or even “paranormal romance,” as Porter suggests with a chuckle.

“The best thing about this business is meeting and serving readers who are always looking for other things to read,” she said.

Unique Books

Kathy Ratner’s entry into the profession of bookstore owner came in an unusual fashion.

“It all started because I was irritated with my kids,” she shared with a chuckle. “They were voracious readers, and they had filled so many boxes with books that I threatened to open a bookstore to sell them all … and I did.”

Now in business for a total of 14 years, 10 of those at her current location on Woodland Avenue, Unique Books offers yet another large assortment of titles. Ratner’s selection of books consists of mystery, romance, science fiction and nonfiction titles. Unique Books puts particular emphasis on modern classics (Austen, Hemingway, Dickens, Faulkner, etc.) and what Ratner believes to be one of the best selections of art books in the city.

“It is interesting that every one of the bookstores in Lexington seems to have its own specialty,” she said.

Unique Books originally began operating in a 600-square-foot space on Buckhorn Drive, where the store specialized in mystery and romance paperbacks. Staying true to the customer-is-always-right philosophy, Ratner believes the correct approach is tailoring inventory to what the public desires. She also recognizes the change in habits that may occur from the results of a simple, cross-town move.

“I spent 90 days changing inventory based on customer recommendation when I moved to Woodland,” she said.

She suggests that her base demographic is 75 percent male, which represents a departure from the normally female-heavy contingent of book buyers. Unique Books’ customers run the gamut from children to senior citizens, often in their 70s and 80s, she said.

Ratner is forthright when admitting that current technology has had some impact on her business, but she said she has no fear of books being phased out in totality and points to the resurgence of vinyl as a parallel medium that has remained viable.

“Some customers come looking for something [specific], but you never know what’s going to jump off the shelf and grab you,” she said, “That is all part of the fun of the bookstore experience.”

Half-Price Books

Despite the fact that Lexington’s Half-Price Books is part of a larger national chain, it still represents an important entity in the local used book market. The store’s multimedia inventory of “everything printed and recorded” gives shoppers a smorgasbord of options with used books, compact discs, vinyl, DVDs, video games and various sideline items, like calendars and wall art.

Greg Lamer, district training coordinator, started at the ground level of the company and relocated here from Kansas City when the Sir Barton Way location opened in 2005. With 116 stores located in 16 states, Half-Price Books has a distinct national footprint. Lamer is quick to point out that each store is “the product of its own environment” despite being a chain.

“Every location becomes a representation of what the community is interested in,” he said.

Product at the store, especially on the book level, is very transient in nature due to customers’ ability to sell their books and other items for instant cash. The payout from this process is determined by active, real-time parameters based on supply and demand, item condition and timeline to sell/product turnaround. Lamer suggests that these factors can shift literally from “minute to minute.”

Cash offers are made on every item a customer brings in, barring damaged goods. Those items that are overstocked or unneeded are donated to local charities.

Half-Price Books has long been a progressive business, even from its initial roots in a Dallas laundromat in 1972. The company has been operating with green initiatives since that time, with efforts to recycle and redistribute. Lamer often references the company’s rare ability to operate in the black, financially speaking, while continuing to open new storefronts in the wake of uneasy times in the bookselling industry and resistance to public trading of its stocks.

Of course, no business is completely immune to the conditions of the marketplace, and Half Price Books also must overcome the challenges presented by prevailing technology and the public’s shifting purchase trends. Lamer believes these obstacles to be an opportunity to strengthen business practices.

“We just have a renewed challenge to be better at customer service and what we provide,” he said.

Reincarnated Books

Southland Drive is has long been associated with an old-fashioned charm, harboring shops of all kinds. Those hunting for used books in the neighborhood (and the greater city) have the perfect spot to whet their appetites at Reincarnated Books, operated by Michelle Goodwin.

This hideaway operation has offered up its selection of predominately used books for 11 years and running.

Michelle’s father, Gary, who co-operates the shop along with the connected Southland Dollar, estimates that most customers originate from less than a mile away. Reincarnated Books operates as a secret neighborhood nook in many ways, though customers often venture from across town and other cities.

Outside of a very small selection of local books, Reincarnated sits on an estimated inventory of 25,000 used paperback and hardcover titles. The inventory is heavy on mystery and romance choices, with fair representation of genre, including science-fiction, Westerns, self-help, children’s books, cookbooks, and classic literature.

An element of the shop that is not to be overlooked is the peaceful sensibility offered while browsing. The main room containing the majority of the book selection produces an almost library-esque feel.

Customers have the option to buy, sell or trade books while also having a chance to peruse the colorful selection of knick-knacks, such as hula-girl ornaments, quirky animal handbags and gifts, along with a selection of used compact discs.

Glover’s Bookery

Glover’s Bookery is perched prominently on South Broadway, beckoning customers with its array of used and rare book selections for “the scholar, collector, and general reader.” A true shopping experience, this unique storefront offers a well-organized stock of more than 80,000 mostly hardback books, along with antiquarian maps and prints and tribal art.

In business since 1978, it is one of the longest-running bookstores in Kentucky, selling a majority of rare and collectible books and fueled by a self-professed “passion and love,” according to owner John Glover. Outside of the books housed within the store itself Glover has more than 20,000 selections for purchase through an Internet database. Nearly one half of his profits are garnered from online sales.

“In this business, you must shift gears and adapt,” he said. “If you don’t go with the niche market, you will die.”

Glover is not a mere book collector but an antiquarian, or one who deals exclusively in collecting, selling or studying old valuable items. His main interest lies in the highly collectible and aesthetically cherished titles. However, this should not discourage anyone from bringing him boxes of books, which he fields on a daily basis.

“If it’s neat, interesting and unique, I will look at it,” he said. “I’m a book lover, so I will never retire from this.”

While he echoes the feelings of fellow proprietors that book-selling is changing, he remains confident about the sustainability of books and the bookstore. Glover does an inordinate amount of travel and has seen the unfortunate demise of his favorite independent bookshops across the nation. Some of these operations simply could not justify the overhead required, which has moved many to run their book businesses out of their garages. While this is not the traditional storefront, physical bookshop, it still purveys the persistence of collectors.

“There will always be used bookstores in some form,” he said, “just in a passionate, somewhat reduced degree.”

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