How did you come to own the store?
I was a school librarian and teacher for years in Nashville, Tenn. Our sons moved to Telluride after college, and my husband noticed that the bookstore and coffee shop next to it, in the same building, were for sale. We asked our sons what they thought about us buying them and moving here, and they were like, do it. It was really sweet, because it’s a small town, and they’re in their 20s. So we moved out here, and bought both shops in 2021.
How did the store make it to 50?
Longtime locals, new locals, and visitors come through. We’re a tourist town. A lot of the visitors come through every summer, winter, or both. Some have homes here. A lot of them have told us that they consider ours their bookstore.
Do you have issues hiring and retaining workers in a pricey tourist destination?
Affordable housing is an issue, but we have an employee who was with the store when we bought it. Retention is not an issue for us. It’s not like the restaurant business, which has a high turnover. If somebody wants to work in a bookstore, they really want to work in a bookstore.
What’s your take on the independent bookselling community in Colorado?
While finalizing the sale, we went to the Mountains and Plains booksellers conference, and the previous co-owner introduced me to everybody. They were so warm, giving me phone numbers and telling me to call anytime. Annette Avery of Bright Side Bookshop in Flagstaff, Ariz., came into the store once, when we were new owners, and literally jumped behind the counter to show me how to do a return on Booklog. It’s been a very welcoming community, despite how spread out it is.
