On Saturday, April 10, I’ll be doing my first book reading and signing for “Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci” at Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in Asheville, NC, where I live. It’s an odd little town of only 70,000 people but at least a dozen or so new and used bookstores. People like to read here! Leslie Hawkins runs the only bookshop dedicated to children’s books. I thought I’d spend some time getting to know her before I did my talk at her place on Saturday. Here’s a short Q&A we put together.
Can you tell us about Spellbound Children's Bookshop?
Spellbound is an independent bookstore just for kids, featuring books for babies through teens. We carry primarily new books but also have a small section of used books and select non-book items that encourage reading and creativity, such as plush toys and posters based on classic book characters, art supplies, music, and educational toys and games. Our mission is to help raise lifelong readers who are curious, imaginative, and independent thinkers by sharing the magic found when you open a book. In addition to children's books and related items, Spellbound also offers a different kind of shopping experience for families in Western North Carolina. At our store, the "children's section" is the entire store, and we are always available to help connect kids with books they will love. We have a carefully selected inventory reflecting the best books of yesterday and today, books that kids will want to read again and again…books with staying power…books that hold you spellbound!
How did you become a bookseller of children's books only?
When I found myself “between jobs” several years ago, I asked myself what I really wanted to spend my time doing. I thought about the jobs and volunteer positions that had given me the most satisfaction and I realized that I really missed working with kids. The sign on the wall that says “We love kids & we love books” pretty much sums it up. I saw a small niche to be filled in the community that would perfectly suit my interests and experience. At the time I had never seen or even heard of an all-children’s bookstore. After some research I found out that not only could it be done, but that people were doing it in lots of other areas-- just not here in Asheville yet. It was not a straight line that brought me here, but it feels like where I was meant to be.
Do you remember visiting bookshops when you were a kid?
Unfortunately, not much. I went to the library constantly, but my small hometown didn’t have a bookstore. The first time I remember being in a bookstore was when my parents took me to the Waldenbooks that had just opened in the Asheville Mall. I suppose I’m trying to create the bookshop that I wish had been around when I was a kid!
What are some of your favorite books for kids? (Try to keep the list down to 500 or so. ha ha.)
I often tell people, when they ask how I decided what books to carry, that my opening inventory began with a very scientific process of listing my favorite books from childhood, which I emphatically thought (and still think) all kids should read. Among them, in no particular order: The Monster at the End of This Book; The Shrinking of Treehorn; Sylvester and the Magic Pebble; The Bremen-Town Musicians; Harriet the Spy; A Wrinkle in Time; The Secret Garden… Some of my favorite newer books for kids are The Magic Thief series by Sarah Prineas; Hope Larson’s graphic novels for tweens; the Graceling books by Kristin Cashore; The Mysterious Benedict Society; Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty books; anything by Kevin Henkes… and of course Blockhead by Joseph D’Agnese!
Recently your shop was mentioned in the bookseller trade press for its creative space-sharing. What is that about, and how is it working out?
The original location of Spellbound was in a great little neighborhood not far from downtown, but it was just out of the way enough to be challenging as far as attracting locals from other parts of town and attracting tourists. After a couple of years of looking, I finally found the perfect downtown location at the same time that Alisha Silver was ready to open her own photography studio. What with the economy being… let’s say “less than robust” in 2008, we both liked the idea of sharing a space and sharing expenses. We’re sort of like business roommates, two individual businesses cohabiting in the same storefront. Our businesses have also turned out to be very complimentary; on many occasions bookshop customers have ended up booking photo sessions with Alisha or her clients have become customers at Spellbound after discovering us through her.
Can you tell us what the book events are like at Spellbound?
They can be as varied as the books and authors. We try to make our events interactive, to get kids engaged with the material and, when possible, with the author. Sometimes that means having a craft activity that ties in with the book, or a slideshow, or an illustrator bringing original artwork to show how a book was put together, or for older kids we might have games to test their knowledge about a book or series, or costume contests….
2019 Update: Spellbound Bookshop has a brand-new location under construction. In the interim, the shop is operating in a pop-up location. Details at the link in the story.
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