A well-loved bookstore was saved by the community in 2011 — BookPeople of Moscow.
Carol Price, the current owner, bought BookPeople that year. As the previous owners decided to retire, but Price did not have the resources to buy the business on her own.
The community did not want to lose the unique and valued business, so they connected her with her current business partner, Steffen Werner. He handled the finances of the transaction, while Price manages the bookstore.
They completely remodeled the store and reopened in late February 2012 with a change.
Instead of providing used books as the previous owners had, Price has focused on providing her customers with a selection of new books curated to their tastes.
“In the beginning, when we first had the store, was the time when independent bookstores were still having more of a hard time than they’re having now,” Price said. “In the last eight years, there’s been a resurgence of independent bookstores around the country and as part of that trend, people really began to understand that concept of shopping local and why that’s important.”
Easter books line the display outside of Book People of Moscow, located on S Main Street. Valerie Blackburn | Argonaut
Independent bookstores like BookPeople allow people to experience what online purchasing causes them to miss, said Pete Fromm, a visiting author to BookPeople. When people shop on Amazon and other online retailers, they miss the specialized advice and selections of smaller bookstores.
“She (Price) reads really widely and really well,” Fromm said. “When you go in there, she gets to know you and your tastes and she fits you with books that you probably never would have otherwise read.”
Fromm published his first book of short stories in 1992. He has since published three memoirs, five short story collections and five novels. His 1993 memoir “Indian Creek Chronicles” has sold well since its release. Each time he stops in Moscow on a book tour, at least one person in the crowd wants to talk about “Indian Creek Chronicles.”
Price is excited to welcome Fromm for a reading from his newest novel, “A Job You Mostly Won’t Know How to Do,” from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. May 15 at BookPeople. The store holds a variety of events, which can be found on their website.
Fromm said that every time he goes on a book tour, he tells his publisher that he will stop in Moscow. With three visits in the last eight years since she purchased Bookpeople.
“I’m not quite sure how she does it. It’s a fairly small town and every time I’m there she just packs the store with people and gets them fired up, which can be super hard to do, not just to get people in but to have (people who have) already read the books so the discussions are fun,” Fromm said. “It’s a rare talent to have.”
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]