Birch Tree Bookery, Marion, Ohio, has added a second location, offering new and used books, a kids' room, a game room, and a trade-in credit program, at 1810 E. Mansfield St. in Bucyrus. The Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum reported that owners Justin and Crystal Bessler "were motivated to open their stores after noticing a lack of bookstores and school libraries in the area."
The Marion store launched in 2023. "We noticed the only used bookstore in Marion had closed during the pandemic and several area schools were shutting down their libraries," Justin Bessler said.
They quickly outgrew the limited space, however. "By the end of the summer, we were ordering new books for customers," Crystal Bessler recalled. "We also received some incredible book donations and quickly ran out of room." Since then, they have moved twice and now occupy a space three times larger than their first location.
Adding the Bucyrus store was a decision made after realizing they were again maxing out on space. "We've been fortunate to be the bookstore hub for many Crawford County readers," Justin Bessler noted. "We frequent Bucyrus often, and the community has always been so welcoming and willing to try something new."
He added that bookstores in a community are important for several reasons: "We read by ourselves, but we want to talk about what we read with others. Bookstores bring people together to share, discuss and build relationships around their love of books."