The Bookend Café, Fenwick Island, Del., "does not reflect the traditional used book store," the Ocean City Dispatch noted in a profile of the shop that "contains at least 10,000 books and aims to allow customers to easily browse, pick a book and get to the beach in that order." The store also carries a selection of new and popular titles. "It is against our model but we understand that there are no new book stores now in the area," co-owner Janilyn Elias said.
Elias said she and co-owner Jeff Fetterman opened the bookstore in the fall of 2010 because they saw a niche that needed to be filled: "Someone could really do it and that someone was us.... We always try to look at our store in thirds. Books, gifts and coffee, and that is what comes in. In the morning you get your coffee, mid-morning you get books, and then after dinner their gift shopping. You see that third happen throughout the day."
Fetterman added: "We wanted to have an open feeling so you can easily walk around, very well lit, very organized, and people can find what they want quickly because let's be honest people walk around book stores browsing and then there is a lot of people that just want to get to the beach so we wanted to meet both needs."
Elias and Fetterman specialize in used books "since visitors are usually looking for a beach read where it can be weathered down and not break the bank," the Dispatch noted.
