Vacation led to a vocation for Peggy Stout and Kathy Villa, who opened Prairie Pages bookstore in Pierre, S.D., on September 5.
Stout and Villa were on vacation with their spouses and a group of friends last year when they happened into McLean & Eakin, Booksellers in Petoskey, Mich. They struck up a conversation with the store's owner, who told them about the Bookstore Training and Consulting Group of Paz & Associates. After attending the company's weeklong workshop on the fundamentals of opening a bookstore, "we were very excited," said Stout, and she and Villa set about finding a location.
In May, they settled on an 1,800-sq.-ft. space in an 1884 building in downtown Pierre on the city's main thoroughfare. It's the first general interest bookstore in Pierre, the state's capital, since a Waldenbooks closed two decades ago. Although neither Stout nor Villa has retail experience, they both believe their extensive volunteer work will be an asset in their bookselling roles. "We're very people oriented," said Stout. "I guess you could say service oriented."
Located on the banks of the Missouri River, Pierre draws tourist crowds in the summer and autumn months. The city's 14,000 year-round residents are "a very diverse population," said Stout. "Because it's the state capital, you have people from a lot of different areas." Stout and Villa drew on that diversity to define the store's inventory. "One thing we've really tried to do is involve the community," said Stout, and she and Villa invited 15 people to offer suggestions on books to stock. These participants included a lawyer with the state legislature, the director of the city's hospital foundation, a minister, a librarian and several teachers, who later returned to help shelve books. "It has really become a community bookstore in a lot of ways," Stout added.
The owners have yet to hold their grand opening celebration, but Stout and Villa have not been idle these past weeks. In September, the store hosted several events, including the first of its artist receptions. Each month the work of a different South Dakota artist will be displayed in the store, from pottery to paintings to jewelry, with a get-together held in the artist's honor. Authors Ann Bausum and Jennifer Armstrong, both of whom pen American history books for kids, stopped by Prairie Pages for a signing while attending the South Dakota Festival of Books in Sioux Falls. And when V.J. Smith, executive director of the South Dakota State University Alumni Association, appeared to promote his book The Richest Man in Town--the story of the author's friendship with a Wal-Mart cashier in Brookings, S.D.--the store had its highest sales day yet.
Stout and Villa are looking to partner with organizations such as the South Dakota State Historical Society Press (headquartered in Pierre) which next month will release The Discontented Gopher, marking the first time the L. Frank Baum story has been published as a fully illustrated children's book. They would also like to offer in-store books clubs, and customers have already inquired about starting ones devoted to the works of G. K. Chesterton and Jane Austen.
Prairie Pages is currently holding a four-day open house through Saturday with several local writers in attendance, among them David J. Ode, the author of Dakota Flora: A Seasonal Sampler. An event for the last Lemony Snicket tale, The End, is scheduled for tomorrow.
Stout and Villa run Prairie Pages with the aid of seven part-time employees, and they're hoping that within a couple of years they might be able once again to vacation together. "Once you open a store, though," said Stout, "it's kind of hard to get away."
Prairie Pages is located at 321 S. Pierre Street, Pierre, S.D. 57501; 605-945-1100.--Shannon McKenna
Stout and Villa were on vacation with their spouses and a group of friends last year when they happened into McLean & Eakin, Booksellers in Petoskey, Mich. They struck up a conversation with the store's owner, who told them about the Bookstore Training and Consulting Group of Paz & Associates. After attending the company's weeklong workshop on the fundamentals of opening a bookstore, "we were very excited," said Stout, and she and Villa set about finding a location.
In May, they settled on an 1,800-sq.-ft. space in an 1884 building in downtown Pierre on the city's main thoroughfare. It's the first general interest bookstore in Pierre, the state's capital, since a Waldenbooks closed two decades ago. Although neither Stout nor Villa has retail experience, they both believe their extensive volunteer work will be an asset in their bookselling roles. "We're very people oriented," said Stout. "I guess you could say service oriented."
Located on the banks of the Missouri River, Pierre draws tourist crowds in the summer and autumn months. The city's 14,000 year-round residents are "a very diverse population," said Stout. "Because it's the state capital, you have people from a lot of different areas." Stout and Villa drew on that diversity to define the store's inventory. "One thing we've really tried to do is involve the community," said Stout, and she and Villa invited 15 people to offer suggestions on books to stock. These participants included a lawyer with the state legislature, the director of the city's hospital foundation, a minister, a librarian and several teachers, who later returned to help shelve books. "It has really become a community bookstore in a lot of ways," Stout added.
The owners have yet to hold their grand opening celebration, but Stout and Villa have not been idle these past weeks. In September, the store hosted several events, including the first of its artist receptions. Each month the work of a different South Dakota artist will be displayed in the store, from pottery to paintings to jewelry, with a get-together held in the artist's honor. Authors Ann Bausum and Jennifer Armstrong, both of whom pen American history books for kids, stopped by Prairie Pages for a signing while attending the South Dakota Festival of Books in Sioux Falls. And when V.J. Smith, executive director of the South Dakota State University Alumni Association, appeared to promote his book The Richest Man in Town--the story of the author's friendship with a Wal-Mart cashier in Brookings, S.D.--the store had its highest sales day yet.
Stout and Villa are looking to partner with organizations such as the South Dakota State Historical Society Press (headquartered in Pierre) which next month will release The Discontented Gopher, marking the first time the L. Frank Baum story has been published as a fully illustrated children's book. They would also like to offer in-store books clubs, and customers have already inquired about starting ones devoted to the works of G. K. Chesterton and Jane Austen.
Prairie Pages is currently holding a four-day open house through Saturday with several local writers in attendance, among them David J. Ode, the author of Dakota Flora: A Seasonal Sampler. An event for the last Lemony Snicket tale, The End, is scheduled for tomorrow.
Stout and Villa run Prairie Pages with the aid of seven part-time employees, and they're hoping that within a couple of years they might be able once again to vacation together. "Once you open a store, though," said Stout, "it's kind of hard to get away."
Prairie Pages is located at 321 S. Pierre Street, Pierre, S.D. 57501; 605-945-1100.--Shannon McKenna