When walking down Moscow’s Main Street, it would be difficult to miss the quaint little brick bookshop with the red door. Students and community members alike are drawn to BookPeople of Moscow for an inviting atmosphere, friendly staff, and so many books to browse through. This independent bookstore has been operating since 1973, and it is considered the longest continually operating bookstore in the state of Idaho. Since its opening, BookPeople has been so much more than a bookstore to this community, and it continues to make an impact today.
The Moscow community is lucky to have many independent stores and businesses like BookPeople across town, and it’s these places that make this community unique and interesting. Independent stores are important because they directly reflect the needs and desires of their specific community, providing tailored services that a global brand or market couldn’t achieve.
“It’s a very specific local oriented store that doesn’t have any responsibilities to anyone outside of the community,” Carol Price, the co-owner and manager of BookPeople said on its goal as an independent bookstore.
Since this store only serves people in Moscow and surrounding areas, the books that the store stocks reflect what people in this area are interested in and would like to read.
“The things that I buy (for the store) are the things that our customers want,” Price said.
Moscow is a unique community, so it’s logical that the businesses serving the people of Moscow are in tune with what those people need and want. That kind of care and dedication to meeting the needs of a community is something you can’t find at a major corporation. Small businesses like BookPeople also have a lot more direct pressure from the community, and they are held accountable in ways that bigger businesses are not.
“I have independence, but I also have a lot of responsibility, and a lot of people who are watching what I do,” Price said. “That brings accountability into it that I think is really important.”
Independent bookstores like BookPeople allow readers and community members to have a say in what happens, so not just one corporation is controlling the entire market and supply.
“Small businesses are really important because they really do support more of the local community than the global market,” BookPeople’s assistant manager, Bre Pickens, said.
More than just a great place to buy books however, BookPeople of Moscow is also a place for the community to gather and enjoy being together in a safe space. Price described BookPeople and places like it as a “3rd Space”, somewhere to do life that isn’t home or work.
“It’s a place where you can interact with your friends or people in your community” Price said. “It kind of helps keep the social fabric together.”
BookPeople provides a safe and welcoming environment for the community, and it’s their goal to remain an inviting gathering place and community center, even with the changes caused by the pandemic.
“It’s nice to have a place that has nothing to do with any ideology but is there to welcome you and to provide you with ideas and inspiration and good reading material,” Price said.
In her five years working at BookPeople, Pickens has noticed the value this store has a place to meet and be a part of this community.
“it really is a great meeting place within the community, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to watch that over the years,” Pickens said.
Not only is BookPeople a highly valued community resource, but it also serves as a lifeline and jumping off point for local authors in the Palouse area. It’s easy to find local authors on the shelves of BookPeople because local authors are always reaching out to the store to be a part of their consignment program. This program gives local authors shelf space and when their books sell, the authors themselves get a large portion of the profit.
Next year, the BookPeople of Moscow will be celebrating their 50th anniversary of faithfully serving the Moscow community and looking forward to another 50 years of doing the same. BookPeople is an essential part of the Moscow community environment; it supports the people of Moscow, and the people support them as well.
“We try to let everyone know that comes to our door that we appreciate them coming,” Pickens said, “and that we’re just really thankful for our community and the customers and students that are around.”