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Faces of the Tri-State: Local bookstore finds success in four years in business
Sara Loftus, owner of BookwormÕs Attic, poses for a photo on Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Huntington.
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HUNTINGTON -- Sara Loftus knows you can probably get a book at Wal-Mart or Border's for a bit cheaper than her small, independent bookstore.
But the big box retailers and large chains can't match the expertise and atmosphere that she can offer at her bookstore, she says.
"You can practically buy a book while waiting in line to get gas these days," she says. "The challenge for myself and other small bookstore owners is reminding people that the 25-cent or dollar discount they might be getting undermines some of the things that avid readers value so much."
"A bookstore is a unique place, intellectual to some degree. It's a place of imagination where all kinds of things can happen and people with like interests can meet and talk."
That's how Loftus describes her bookstore, The Bookworm's Attic, located along Norway Avenue in Huntington's Walnut Hills neighborhood. Most longtime Huntingtonians refer to the small stretch of shops and businesses along Norway as Gallaher Village.
Loftus has enjoyed so much success in the four years that her bookstore has been open that she expanded this spring, nearly tripling the store's previous size. It now has more than 15,000 books in 2,000 square feet of space.
That's given her plenty of room to display the store's bread and butter -- books in the romance, science fiction and fantasy genres. But it also offers what most other bookstores do, including a mystery room, a growing children's section and a decent-sized selection for teen readers.
Next year, she said she will focus on activities and events at the bookstore. That includes book-signings, creating an activities room and putting in a small kitchen area so she can serve coffee, smoothies and other beverages and snacks.
Loftus discovered her love for reading while growing up outside Tampa, Fla. She frequented a small neighborhood bookstore and worked there as a teen. It was those memories and the lack of a small, independent bookstore that convinced Loftus to open her business when she moved to Huntington.
Loftus swells with pride when she talks about how the bookstore has developed a strong connection with the Walnut Hills neighborhood.
The store has a lot of repeat customers who live nearby, so Loftus said she goes out of her way to make sure they are satisfied. That means stocking the store with books she knows they will read.
And if a customer is unable to get out of the house, the store will deliver books to them. Loftus recalls delivering books to many of her elderly customers who were snowed in last winter.
"That's the kind of individual character and uniqueness that we can offer," said Stephanie Fisher, who works at the bookstore with Loftus. "We can learn so much more about our customers than your average bookstore."
Loftus also has developed an entrepreneurial program of sorts for neighborhood kids. She lets them make and sell bookmarks and other crafts in the store. Sixty percent of the money goes back into the pockets of the children, 30 percent goes to buying more art supplies for the crafts and the remaining 10 percent goes to charity.
Area children also can earn store credit by volunteering their time at the bookstore.
"That's the community aspect," Loftus said. "It's more than buying and selling books. It's about growing readers."
If the bookstore isn't keeping her busy enough, Loftus also is reaching out to other business owners in Gallaher Village to establish an organization to spruce up the area.
With two barber shops, pharmacy, library, dance studio and dentist's office already among the businesses in Gallaher Village, Loftus sees lots of potential. But the stretch of Norway Avenue needs better lighting, signage and sidewalks, she said.
"It's fun when the older generations come in the store and say they think Gallaher Village is coming alive again," she said. "They talk about when there used to be a movie theater and soda stand here.
"We may not be able to re-create the past, but just being able to provide local services for the local community is an exciting thing."
Hometown: Huntington
Occupation: Owner of The Bookworm's Attic; geography professor at Marshall University.
Family: Husband, Paul; three children, Clare, Neil and Colin.
Recommended reading: "Tinker" by Wen Spenser (fantasy); "Troubleshooter" series by Suzanne Brockmann (romantic suspense); "Valor's Choice (Torin Kerr: Confederation)" by Tanya Huff (science fiction).
