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BookPeople still a community staple

Written by By Ryli Hennessey -Argonaut

Friday, 09 September 2005

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of features about local independent booksellers. Look for the next installment next week.) BookPeople of Moscow, Inc., has served the Palouse with information and culture for more than thirty years. BookPeople was founded in 1973 as a cooperative to sell books in Moscow. Current owner Robert Greene bought BookPeople in 1981. Employees and customers describe Greene as being an outstanding member of the community and someone who really knows his business. “I don’t think any other places in town have an owner/manager who has been in the business for 20 years,” BookPeople employee Ivan Peterson says. BookPeople, located downtown at 521 South Main, sells what Greene calls books of all persuasions. It sells small press and independent press titles as well as progressive books. It also has a large children’s section, which Greene says is the cornerstone of any bookstore. Greene reads many of the children’s books carried in the store. “There are so many fantastic kids’ books,” Greene says.  “I think adults do themselves a great disservice because they don’t look at kid’s books.” The store sells books by independent, obscure and unpopular authors. It has books about the American Northwest, Idaho history, art and philosophy.  Along with selling this wide array, BookPeople does special orders. Employees of BookPeople say they take pride in what they do. Peterson, a BookPeople employee for almost two years, says it’s sometimes hard to take a paycheck. “It’s like an alcoholic working in a liquor store,” Peterson says.  Employees know many of their customers by their first names and many customers know each other. “It’s a lot more than a bookstore. It’s a cultural center,” says Jim Gael, a BookPeople customer for 15 years. Peterson and BookPeople employee Betsy Dickow describe the store as a nexus for the community, a place where people come together. “Whether it’s political or artistic, this is one of those gathering places for people and information,” Peterson says. Dickow has worked at BookPeople for nine years. She handles used and out-of-print books, book searches and book appraisals. “I like finding what’s special for somebody,” Dickow says. BookPeople employees say the store provides something different from larger chains. Gael says people might save a few dollars shopping at a large impersonal bookstore, but those stores have no souls. “If you want some soul, you go to a smaller place where people know each other and trust each other,” she says. Gael calls it loyalty to something besides your own checkbook. “The dollar-fifty you save buying from Amazon, it doesn’t mean anything. You buy from this guy, (Greene), and it goes a lot further in the community.” Peterson, who lurked in and out of BookPeople as a regular customer for 15 years before he was hired, says students who want a good quality of life should get to know BookPeople and a couple other downtown businesses, because they are what make Moscow such a cool community to be a part of. Add as favorites (20) | Views: 652 Be first to comment this article Write Comment Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code. Name: Title: Comment: