Sue Cowing for Mixed-up Files: This month we’re talking with Leslie Hawkins, the intrepid founder/owner of Spellbound, the only children’s book shop in North Carolina (www.spellboundchildrensbookshop.com/). Rather than close her doors during the late bad recession Leslie downsized her shop temporarily, moved it downtown, and partnered with an art gallery.  But now the shop is doing well and she’s ready to grow again and move  to a site still close to town but with easier parking and more room for activities.  We’re especially glad to feature Spellbound this month, because they’re in the midst of a $18,000 fund-raising campaign with Indiegogo that could make all this happen, and the deadline is May 15. For more details, see: http://bit.ly/GrowBks

MUF:  Leslie, If you do make your goal in the Indiegogo campaign by May 15^th, what are your plans for Spellbound’s future?

Leslie Hawkins: Spellbound will expand back to “pre-recession size.” We’ll have a bigger inventory and more space for events. The space will be both bigger and more efficient, as we plan to build an event room that can be closed off to allow private events to take place during store hours. This is something many customers have been asking for, room to have birthday parties, workshops, etc.

MUF: And if you exceed that and make your “stretch” goal you will keep your downtown store as well?  What have been the benefits of sharing space downtown?
Leslie: Well, the many opportunities for cross-promoting, of course. Zapow gallery and Spellbound have expanded each other’s customer reach; we bring more families to the gallery (which has plenty of art that appeals to all ages) and being housed in the gallery has brought in more teens and young adults to see Spellbound’s book offerings.

The biggest benefit has been the capability to share customer service hours. Lauren, co-owner and curator of the gallery, has a masters degree in illustration and is a bona fide kidlit nerd like me, so my customers are in good hands even when I’m not at the store. We have each benefitted from having more time to work on behind-the-scenes business tasks by sharing the customer service workload—and not having to pay each other!
I have, so far, been the only full-time Spellbound staff member.

MUF: You’ve been in a smaller space for awhile, so you’ve probably had to be more selective in what you carry.  How do you decide?  What wouldn’t you do without?
Leslie:  Since being so downsized was only ever meant to be temporary, I have tried to keep the full range of offerings—baby books, early readers, etc.—on hand but yes, necessarily smaller inventory. If this becomes our smaller, satellite location as I envision, the inventory here will be geared more to comics and graphic novels, illustration-heavy books, and teen fiction, to tie in with the core audience for the gallery.
I mostly have relied on a combination of proven sales for backlist—not national bestsellers, necessarily, but what has been consistently in demand here—and my own instinct for frontlist. What do I love? What will I be enthusiastic about? Most of my regular customers come to Spellbound to see what I love and recommend. It’s not the size of the inventory but how it’s curated.

Some titles that I would never want to do without include the Indestructibles baby books from Workman; Betsy Snyder’s board books; the Ivy and Bean series; Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty books in any format; 39 Clues, Sisters Grimm, and Mysterious Benedict Society series; Kristin Cashore’s Graceling; works by Hope Larson, an Asheville native who has found major national success with her graphic novels; and A Wrinkle in Time, my personal favorite and the very first book ordered for our stock when Spellbound opened in 2004.  And, of course, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler!

MUF: What kind of atmosphere do you try to create in your store no matter where you are?  How do you help books and readers find each other?
Leslie: I always want the bookstore to feel fun and welcoming, and for the staff and books to seem very approachable. The main ways I help connect kids to books are listening closely, asking good questions, and always staying tuned in to my younger self and what would have intrigued or excited me about a book at a certain age. Whether helping a kid, a parent, or both, genuine enthusiasm is by far the best tool in my bookseller toolbox.

MUF: Tell us about your bookstore dog.  Can children read to him/her?

Leslie: Sadly, Seymour passed away last summer (at 17 years old). He was great company for staff and customers alike. He was very quiet and liked to accompany people around the store as they browsed. He did not, however, enjoy being dressed up, as I learned when I tried to put a Santa hat on him for a holiday ad in the local paper years ago. And yes, he loved being read to!
I am almost ready to adopt a new canine friend from the local animal shelter. My hope is that when I find the right match for me, it will be a dog that will enjoy spending days in the bookstore as much as Seymour did.

MUF: Do you and your staff have particular favorites, fiction or nonfiction, new or old, that you’re recommending to middle-graders right now?
Leslie:
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis
The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam by Jasper Fforde
The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
The Fourth Stall books by Chris Rylander
When You Reach Me continues to be a hot handsell… and I love that it almost always proves to be a “gateway” book, bringing customers back for A Wrinkle in Time if they haven’t already read it.

MUF: We notice Spellbound is among the bookstores who have a book club for adults (like us) who like to read children’s fiction.  What’s the book for May?
Leslie: In May we’ll be discussing There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff.

MUF: Your current downtown neighborhood looks lively.  If some of our readers visited Spellbound from out of town, would there be family-friendly places where they could get something to eat after browsing?  Are there other attractions in Asheville that families wouldn’t want to miss?

Leslie:  Oh, yes! Chai Pani is a great family-friendly Indian restaurant directly across the street, with an ice cream store located conveniently next door. Early Girl Eatery, just around the corner, is my go-to place and I frequently recommend it to visitors with kids.
We have a kids’ science museum and a group of working art galleries called the River Arts District, where you can watch artists paint, throw pots, blow glass—you name it! And then there are literary attractions like the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and Carl Sandburg’s home. Perhaps the best attraction is the eclectic variety of shops and galleries and street performers you’ll run across as you walk through downtown. Following the Urban Trail is a good way to make it into a game for kids.

MUF:  Thank you Leslie for taking the time to talk with us us about your shop and your dreams for its future.  We’re sure that wherever children and their adults visit you, they’re going to be Spellbound!
Readers, if you’ve been Spellbound already or are glad to know about this shop, please let Leslie know here.  And if you would like to help Spellbound its return to it’s former size or more, please go to http://bit.ly/GrowBks between now and March 15 to find out how.  One of the gifts you receive in return for a donation may be one of these charming locally-designed stuffed bookworms–a great present for an avid reader!

 

 

 

Sue Cowing is the author of puppet-and-boy novel You Will Call Me Drog, Carolrhoda 2011, Usborne UK 2012.

Sue Cowing for MIXED-UP FILES:  Since it’s founding twenty-eight years ago, the Red Balloon Bookshop  (www.redballoonbookshop.com) has become famous among writers and readers as a top-notch children’s book store.  Today we’re talking with the shop’s new owner, Holly Weinkauf.

MUF:  Minneapolis-St. Paul must be a community of readers to sustain so many bookstores!  What is the Red Balloon’s particular appeal to those readers do you think?
HOLLY: Red Balloon Bookshop is in Saint Paul.  Even though Minneapolis – Saint Paul is really one big city, people who live here have strong neighborhood loyalty.  And fortunately we are in a community that supports the arts and literature and supports local businesses.

We are in a beautiful and very walkable neighborhood (when it’s not below freezing!) We provide great storytimes, author events and many other fun ways to engage kids and grown-ups with books.Our customers know they can come here to discover new books or find old favorites.  They know that when they come in we will be happy to help them find what they are looking for, make suggestions, and have a great conversation with them about books or anything else.  Everyone at Red Balloon loves connecting people of all ages with books.

MUF: What was it like to take over the reins of such a well-known and beloved shop?  What plans do you have for its future?
HOLLY: Exciting and a bit overwhelming.  I’ve learned a lot and continue to learn.  When I became the owner I knew and still know this is what I want to be doing.  Red Balloon is a combination of all of my passions – books and stories, children, families, community and small independent business.

While Red Balloon is well known and has strong community support, I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t know about us. Usually those are people who are new to the Twin Cities. One of the things we’ve been working on is letting people know we are here, reminding people we are here, and letting them all know that we have new energy at the store.

I’m excited to build on the strong bookstore community that Michele Cromer – Poire and Carol Erdahl began 28 years ago.  Red Balloon will continue to be a welcoming and inspiring place for everyone who loves children’s and YA books.

MUF: What do customers see and experience when they walk into The Red Balloon?  On the days between events, the browsing days, how do you go about connecting customers with books they will love?
HOLLY: We make a point of welcoming everyone who walks through our door.  We have a well -lit and colorful space with fun displays.  To connect people with the right books, we talk with them and we have shelf talkers and displays highlighting particular books for certain readers.  When a regular customer comes in, we often know what sorts of things he or she will like and we can show them what’s new.  We also send out a monthly newsletter with our events and a few book reviews and we connect with people on Facebook and Twitter sharing interesting book related info.

MUF: How do you “curate” the books you sell in your shop?  What do you keep an eye out for?
HOLLY: This is something we’re constantly working to get a better handle on.  We look at each section, what’s selling and what’s not, what do we have too much of what do we need more of…. and what do we know our customers like.

MUF: We’re authors, so we just have to ask: what titles, fiction or nonfiction, do you and your staff most often recommend these days to middle-graders who come to The Red Balloon?
HOLLY: All of us who work at Red Balloon have our favorites and what we recommend changes depending on who we’re talking to and what’s new.  But most recently we’ve enjoyed selling William Alexander’s books.  Not only is his story a great story, a debut local author wins the National Book Award, but all of us at the store who’ve read Goblin’s Secret and Ghoulish Song have really enjoyed them.

MUF: Over the years, some of the most exciting children’s authors have appeared at The Red Balloon, and many of their books have made their debuts at your shop. In a few weeks you’ll be hosting the launch of an exciting new book of novel-like nonfiction called Wild Boy by Fairy Ring author Mary Losure, right?

HOLLY: We are definitely looking forward to celebrating Mary Losure’s book!  Events like these are another way we help connect people with books and have those terrific book related conversations.  Amy Oelkers, our Events Coordinator, does a great job of adding something special and unique to each of our events.

I truly enjoy the events we do with local authors and illustrators. It’s great to see grown-ups and kids excited about our local talent (we have a lot!) The local authors and illustrators often have a number of family and friends who come to the events and that definitely adds to the community feel of Red Balloon.

MUF: What are your plans for World Book Night, April 23rd?  What other organizations and community events does The Red Balloon get involved in?
HOLLY: We have a few givers who pick up their books at Red Balloon and we will have a reception for them.  We partner with many, many community organizations throughout the year.  This month we worked with an organization called Success Beyond the Classroom for an amazing “Young Authors” conference.  In April we will be working with the Minnesota Youth Reading Awards to promote the Maud Heart Lovelace Award.

MUF: We encourage our Mixed-up Files readers, especially those who live in towns without an independent bookstore, to make children’s bookstores a day-trip destination.  For those visiting The Red Balloon from out of town, are there family-friendly places nearby where they can get a bit to eat after browsing?  Anything else unique in the neighborhood they should be sure to see?
HOLLY: We are in a terrific day-trip destination neighborhood. Our beautiful, historic neighborhood has lots of great shops.  Bread & Chocolate is a few doors down from us with sandwiches, cookies, coffee, etc. Grand Ole Creamery is nearby for ice cream, Tru Berry for yogurt, and Creative Kids Stuff for toys.  You can learn more about our shopping district at http://www.grandave.com.

Downtown St. Paul is just a few minutes away with both the Minnesota Children’s Museum and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

MUF:  Thank you so much, Holly, for taking the time to visit and answer questions about your shop.  Readers, have you been to The Red Balloon? heard about it? think you’d like to go?   Please leave comments here for Holly  and other readers and/or share some children’s bookstore experiences.  Notice I don’t have to say independent children’s bookstores, because they’re all independent!

 

Sue Cowing lives in Honolulu and is the author of the puppet-and-boy novel YOU WILL CALL ME DROG (Carolrhoda 2011, Usborne UK 2012)

 

 

Mixed-Up Files posts monthly interviews with the owners of children’s-only bookstores and there are still many more of those to feature, but I’ve recently discovered [words] bookstore in Maplewood, N.J. (wordsbookstore.com), a general independent bookstore with a strong emphasis on children’s books, and most importantly with a unique and hopeful mission. This is a bookstore with a heart, and I’m eager to spread the news. Today I’m talking with [words]Co-owner Jonah Zimiles.

MUF: I gather you first got into the bookstore business because the only bookstore in Maplewood was closing? How brave!
Jonah: Thank you. We have lived in Maplewood for twenty-three years and raised our two children here. When the economy deteriorated in the Fall of 2008, we wanted to find a way to help our community. My wife and son were walking in town when she saw a sign saying that the bookstore was closing in a month. Ellen thought that we should buy the bookstore, even though we did not have retail or book industry experience.

MUF: Your store has also taken on the unique mission “to help Maplewood become a model community of inclusion” by acknowledging and serving a special community, families with members on the autism spectrum. How did that come about?
Jonah: In addition to assisting our community buffeted by the recession, we were interested in providing a model vocational training program for young people with autism. Our hope is that through our bookstore, we will inspire other for-profit businesses to hire employees with autism. Our son, who is now 17, has autism. We have always found Maplewood to be a warm and welcoming community, and we wanted to play our part in furthering that culture.

MUF: Tell us about your “Second Sundays.”
Jonah: Our Second Sundays programs were created to provide parents of special needs children the opportunity to sample for free many activities that are often available for typical children but unfortunately not for the special needs population. At the same time, it allows us to acknowledge and publicize service providers who are offering these services or to give new ones considering this market a chance to try out working with our kids at our store. Activities include: yoga, karate, arts & crafts, drama, sewing and cooking, to name a few.

MUF: Not only do you welcome autism syndrome kids in your store and provide programs they can take part in, you also employ them as part-time workers and provide vocational training. Tell us how that works.
Jonah: Most of our kids come to us through job sampling programs in their school. They come in small groups with job coaches once or twice per week and progress through a series of jobs depending upon their skill levels and interests. We also have paid employees on our staff with autism.

MUF: Say a ten-year-old comes into your store looking for “a good book.” Do you have some favorite titles, fiction or nonfiction, that you are especially recommending to middle-graders right now?
Jonah: Our middle graders love Rick Riordan, Jeff Kinney and Dan Gutman. One of our favorite books is R. J. Palacio’s Wonder.

MUF: I’ve just re-read Marcello in the Real World for a workshop. It seems there have been a slew of original and engaging novels for children in the last few years whose main characters are somewhere along the autism spectrum——Mockingbird, London Eye Mystery, The Blue Bottle Mystery, Colin Fisher — and that these stories have the positive side-effect of creating insight and understanding in the general reader. Are these books popular at your store? Have any of their authors come for a visit?
Jonah: We have seven or eight autism authors visit our store for readings during April for Autism Awareness Month but these authors so far have been non-fiction authors. We have tried unsuccessfully to get Jodi Picoult to our store. Some of our favorites have included practitioners like Ricki Robinson, author of Autism Solutions, researchers like Martha Herbert, author of The Autism Revolution, and parents, like Priscilla Gilman, author of The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy.

MUF: [Words] became an instant community center in another sense after Hurricane Sandy hit, didn’t it?

Jonah: Yes! Most of the power in our town (including in the homes of our owners and most of our employees) and the surrounding towns were knocked out for a week, but power was maintained on the block where [words] is located, so we became a community center to which people came to charge their cell phones and computers, learn the latest news, and to get some needed respite from the travails of the storm and the power outage.

MUF: If a family from out of town came to visit your store, would there be a family-friendly place nearby where they could get a bite to eat after browsing?
Jonah: Yes, dozens! Arturo’s across the street is extremely popular and delicious, and the Laurel offers a terrific relaxed atmosphere with great food.

MUF: And if they could spend some time in Maplewood, are there some family activities or sights in the area that they shouldn’t miss?
Jonah: In addition to our quaint village with many fine shops, we have a beautiful park in our town that is well worth a visit, as well as a gigantic nature preserve, the South Mountain reservation. Of course, the best reason to come to Maplewood is to meet the Maplewoodians!

MUF: Any exciting programs coming up in March?
Jonah: Many! Two are of particular note. On Saturday, March 2, we celebrate Read Across America, with a kids’ Pitchapalooza featuring four local children’s authors. On March 20, Harlan Coben kicks off his publicity tour for his exciting new thriller, Six Years.

MUF: Thank you so much , Jonah, for sharing the goals and programs of your store with us.

Readers, if you’re as inspired as I am to read about what Jonah and Ellen are doing at [words], I’m sure they’d love to hear your comments–and have you visit!

Sue Cowing is the author of the middle-grade puppet-and-boy novel, You Will Call Me Drog, published in 2011 by Carolrhoda Books and in 2012 by Usborne UK