Congratulations to Talking Leaves ...Books, Buffalo N.Y., which will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its Elmwood Ave. location July 9, Artvoice reported, noting that the "tight knit community, quiet in-store atmosphere and friendly staff have fostered this company into the only surviving independent retail bookstore in the city of Buffalo (there are a few used bookstores)." Talking Leaves' Main St. location has been in business for more than 40 years.
"In the fall of 1974, a group of university students and professors set up a loan program to purchase the Main Street store in 1975," Talking Leaves owner Jon Welch recalled. "Around 1998, most other independent bookstores had closed. We were the only ones left. We were contacted by a bunch of folks connected to the Elmwood Village association and the people who ran Café Aroma saying that the space next door is going to be available. 'Everybody in this neighborhood wants a bookstore. Would you come, because we'll raise money so it can happen.' So we opened it in July of 2001. Now it's 15 years and we want to celebrate!"
Welch added that the "challenge of being in the book business has always been substantial. It's always been a low margin business. When we started, our goal was to be a place that had the books that other people didn't.... [O]ur goal was to represent the voices of people that traditionally were not heard in regular publishing or were buried. We wanted to create a place where people could talk about these things."
Artvoice noted that Talking Leaves: Elmwood "has thrived with the support of the community for 15 years. As a community, let's be sure to show our support for the little shop at the end of the street that has become a little part of all of our lives."