In a piece headlined "Understanding Talking Leaves Bookstore," the Griffin, Canasius College's student newspaper, profiled the Buffalo, N.Y., bookshop that focuses on featuring "distinctive books that are not typically stocked in other stores. Since 1975, Jonathon Welch and his wife have been striving to continue to bring literature into Buffalo."
"Bestsellers were always a small part of our offerings, because we knew the books were widely available," Welch said. "We wanted to meet the reading needs of the underrepresented communities and introduce important work to a more mainstream audience."
Welch originally purchased the former Everyman's Bookstore along with a group of friends and renamed it Talking Leaves. "None of the founders had any retail experience or book industry expertise, so we started literally from scratch," he recalled. "A lot of running a business involves basic common sense and a willingness to work and learn, and we had plenty of that."
The titles carried by the bookshop "are chosen by the local staff who are rooted in the community and relatively have the knowledge of their customers interests," the Griffin noted.
"Chain stores are meant to be alike; every independent bookstore is different, a reflection of its owners, its booksellers and its community and customers," Welch observed. "Most independent bookstores also pride themselves on the knowledge of their booksellers."