Nothing jazzes up a main street like a local bookstore (or at least that’s our opinion).
For 15 years, Apostle Islands Booksellers downtown on Bayfield’s Rittenhouse Avene has welcomed visitors and residents to browse its curated selections that prominently feature regional authors and topics and to join in its book signings and discussions.
On Thursday, May 22, the bookstore celebrates its quindecinnial anniversary, headlined by national best-selling authors Peter
Geye and Nickolas Butler. Peter’s most recent novel, A Lesser Light, “is widely considered his best yet,” notes Store Manager Kristen Sandstrom in her announcement of the event. Peter is a longtime friend of Apostle Islands Booksellers and has visited almost every year since its opening in 2010. “His haunting new tale explores an ill-fated marriage on the rugged North Shore of Lake Superior – another evocative masterpiece from one of the store’s favorite authors,” Kristen writes. Nickolas will interview Peter at the event. Nickolas’ own latest novel, A Forty-Year Kiss, “is a poignant and powerful love story set in small-town Wisconsin. Though different in tone and setting, both authors are known for their deeply rooted sense of place and richly textured storytelling.”
The free event, open to the public, will be at Wild Rice Retreat in Bayfield, starting at 7 p.m. The featured authors discussion will be followed by cocktails, sweets and celebratory toasts. A cash bar will also be available.
Kristen, in an interview with our editor, has been with the store since it opened in 2010. She says local, independent bookstores main values come down to two things.
“The first is community, it really does become a gathering place – we are supporting our local organizations, our local schools, our local libraries. And that goes into the second point, We are keeping the money local.”
She continues, mentioning one of the major competitors of local booksellers. “The ease of the internet is truly amazing, but you’re never going to get the internet to talk to you about the books it just read.” Furthermore, if the store does not have a book and you order it through the store, there is no shipping fee, and it generally can be picked up at the store in three to four business days, she adds.
The store also offers its own online shopping (which does have a shipping charge), and that has increased, too, such as for holiday
gifts. “More and more customers that we had over the years, they’re here in the summer months and we’ll get an order from them in November. They’re remembering us.”
Demaris Brinton and Theron O'Connor, owners of the store, came to the bookselling business in an unusual way. Both left their law practices in northern California in 2008 to relocate to Bayfield, drawn by a deep family connection. “We left behind fires, traffic and high prices in exchange for fresh water, fresh air, and open space,” said Demaris. “But we were unsure what awaited us here.” At the time, their friend Steve Dunker owned the local bookshop, What Goes Round, but due to ill health, he had decided to sell. Unfortunately, as they were negotiating with Steve, he passed away and the sale was on hold in probate court. By then, though, they were committed to becoming bookstore owners and when their current location opened, they bought the building, hired Kristen on staff, “and began to learn the trade,” says Theron. “The rest is history.”
Looking back through photo of the early days in the store, Kristen says, she and Theron noted the open spaces of that first year. The shop is now pleasantly packed with books and nooks for reading. One of the satisfying changes she’s seen in the local book market over the years, Kristen says, is the increase of Indigenous authors, reflecting the local population better. “The amount written by Indigenous authors was minimal,” she says of the early years. “Flash forward 15 years and we have an entire section of kids Indigenous books. We need more shelf space for Indigenous fiction and non-fiction.” She especially enjoys sharing information about the books with people who really don’t know about the Indigenous culture.”
That Apostle Islands Booksellers has survived as a year-round operation in what is mainly a seasonal economy testifies to the
support of local residents. Especially during the pandemic, when Kristen was the only employee of the store, she learned that letting people know when you would be open – essentially for book pickups back then – and sticking to those hours is key to growing a customer base. She even did deliveries during the pandemic to some of the homes of elderly customers. The shop has has “exponential growth over the years” during the off-season, she adds.
The store is now open seven days a week, and many of the regular customers have become old friends. “You just know so many people,” Kristen says after 15 years in the business. “I’m doing these photo memory boards for our anniversary party next week and seeing customers who have passed away, customers who are graduating from college or high school this year and they were toddlers when they first came in. … When you see these faces, they are such important chapters in our story.”