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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — When Margie Wilson and her husband, Frank Cooley, bought the Twice Upon a Time Book Shop 18 months ago they weren’t expecting to change people’s lives.
Wilson and Cooley donate overstocked books from Twice Upon a Time to the Mesa County Jail library. Once, a mother of an inmate called the shop to see if she could order books for him.
“Her son had never been a reader,” Wilson said. “It made a difference in her son’s life, and she thanked me.”
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the new and used book store, located at 2885 North Ave., across the street from Zen Garden, there’s a good chance the owners can locate it via the Internet.
About a month ago, a Moab woman came in searching for a book she’d been seeking for 60 years.
“She was looking for a book she’d read as a child, a story about a horse,” Wilson said. Wilson was able to locate a 1925 copy of “Beautiful Joe” in beautiful condition.
Twice Upon a Time Book Shop is one of the Grand Valley’s little-known gems — a well-stocked and cozy independent book shop — and an alternative to the chain bookstores located on the other side of town.
The shop carries best sellers — priced below the publisher’s price, to bring people into the store to see what other treasures are there.
“The ‘Eclipse’ series (by Stephenie Meyer) are the hottest thing going,” Wilson said. And “we can’t keep Barack Obama’s books on the shelves.”
The well-stocked classics are Wilson’s “pride and joy” — books that students would normally have to pay an “arm and a leg” for at school bookstores, she said.
Wilson is particularly fond of the shop’s large regional and Native American section.
Cooley’s favorite corner of the store is comprised of history, military history, sports and science books — what Cooley calls the “guy’s section.” Wilson doesn’t call it that.
There’s also metaphysical and new age, self-help, art and antiquarian books.
There’s a huge shelf of used cookbooks.
“We buy estate libraries all the time,” Wilson said. “Sometimes they’re loaded with regional history, cookbooks and art books.
“What we don’t sell in-store, we sell online. Most independents sell online to supplement their store.”
Twice Upon a Time conducts searches for rare and out-of-print books. Wilson also appraises books.
Eighteen-year-old Bailey Ragar manages the kids section.
“She’s an organizational wizard,” Wilson said. “She works hard, and she knows what kids read. She knows what to stock and what to cull from the shelves. We donate what she culls to the homeless shelter.”
Customers travel from a 150-mile radius, including Moab and Price, Utah, the Four Corners region, Glenwood Springs, Meeker and Craig. Out-of-town business has doubled since the store was purchased in September 2007.
“Our out-of-town customers stock up like it’s milk and bread,” Wilson said.
Word-of-mouth advertising has brought the shop a steady stream of regular, local customers as well, Wilson said.
Kirk Kirkham, a former newspaper editor, came by Thursday to trade books. The store accepts books for credit discounts on purchases.
“It’s sort of like a bar to an alcoholic. You can’t stagger past it,” Kirkham said. “I’m a book-aholic.”
Wilson was showing Kirkham a history book of Mack. But Kirkham wasn’t taking the bait.
“One-thousand pages on Mack,” Cooley said with a smile.
Through eBay the store has acquired customers from all over the world. Ten to 15 percent of its Internet business is international.
They’ve even become friends with some of their overseas customers.
A man from Vienna often orders books about the Southwest. He’s visited Wilson and Cooley on three occasions.
“He’s interested in geology and so we took him hiking,” Cooley said. “He wanted to see old uranium mines in Utah. He took his Geiger counter.”
“I think we found kind of a niche here,” Wilson said. “Business is better than we ever expected it to be.”
The owners are planning to start some evening events, such as poetry readings and readings by budding authors. Wilson also wants to start book discussion groups for out-of-the-ordinary or classics books.
“There are some really nice people in town who are experts in the classics,” Wilson said.
The shop is also available for groups who need a meeting place.
Before becoming booksellers, Cooley and Wilson had other careers: He was a chemist for Grand Junction’s water plant, and Wilson was a full-time travel agent. Bookselling started as a hobby and a part-time supplemental income.
“We’re both avid readers and book collectors,” Wilson said. “So it was a natural thing we migrated to the book business.”
Cooley primarily handles the Internet business, while Wilson runs the store, averaging 65 hours a week.
The shop is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Customers range from preschool kids to people in their 90s.
“We’ve got everybody from judges, doctors, teachers and those who come in with mismatched shoes and duct-taped glasses,” Wilson said. “Browsers are welcome.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Wilson and Cooley donate overstocked books from Twice Upon a Time to the Mesa County Jail library. Once, a mother of an inmate called the shop to see if she could order books for him.
“Her son had never been a reader,” Wilson said. “It made a difference in her son’s life, and she thanked me.”
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the new and used book store, located at 2885 North Ave., across the street from Zen Garden, there’s a good chance the owners can locate it via the Internet.
About a month ago, a Moab woman came in searching for a book she’d been seeking for 60 years.
“She was looking for a book she’d read as a child, a story about a horse,” Wilson said. Wilson was able to locate a 1925 copy of “Beautiful Joe” in beautiful condition.
Twice Upon a Time Book Shop is one of the Grand Valley’s little-known gems — a well-stocked and cozy independent book shop — and an alternative to the chain bookstores located on the other side of town.
The shop carries best sellers — priced below the publisher’s price, to bring people into the store to see what other treasures are there.
“The ‘Eclipse’ series (by Stephenie Meyer) are the hottest thing going,” Wilson said. And “we can’t keep Barack Obama’s books on the shelves.”
The well-stocked classics are Wilson’s “pride and joy” — books that students would normally have to pay an “arm and a leg” for at school bookstores, she said.
Wilson is particularly fond of the shop’s large regional and Native American section.
Cooley’s favorite corner of the store is comprised of history, military history, sports and science books — what Cooley calls the “guy’s section.” Wilson doesn’t call it that.
There’s also metaphysical and new age, self-help, art and antiquarian books.
There’s a huge shelf of used cookbooks.
“We buy estate libraries all the time,” Wilson said. “Sometimes they’re loaded with regional history, cookbooks and art books.
“What we don’t sell in-store, we sell online. Most independents sell online to supplement their store.”
Twice Upon a Time conducts searches for rare and out-of-print books. Wilson also appraises books.
Eighteen-year-old Bailey Ragar manages the kids section.
“She’s an organizational wizard,” Wilson said. “She works hard, and she knows what kids read. She knows what to stock and what to cull from the shelves. We donate what she culls to the homeless shelter.”
Customers travel from a 150-mile radius, including Moab and Price, Utah, the Four Corners region, Glenwood Springs, Meeker and Craig. Out-of-town business has doubled since the store was purchased in September 2007.
“Our out-of-town customers stock up like it’s milk and bread,” Wilson said.
Word-of-mouth advertising has brought the shop a steady stream of regular, local customers as well, Wilson said.
Kirk Kirkham, a former newspaper editor, came by Thursday to trade books. The store accepts books for credit discounts on purchases.
“It’s sort of like a bar to an alcoholic. You can’t stagger past it,” Kirkham said. “I’m a book-aholic.”
Wilson was showing Kirkham a history book of Mack. But Kirkham wasn’t taking the bait.
“One-thousand pages on Mack,” Cooley said with a smile.
Through eBay the store has acquired customers from all over the world. Ten to 15 percent of its Internet business is international.
They’ve even become friends with some of their overseas customers.
A man from Vienna often orders books about the Southwest. He’s visited Wilson and Cooley on three occasions.
“He’s interested in geology and so we took him hiking,” Cooley said. “He wanted to see old uranium mines in Utah. He took his Geiger counter.”
“I think we found kind of a niche here,” Wilson said. “Business is better than we ever expected it to be.”
The owners are planning to start some evening events, such as poetry readings and readings by budding authors. Wilson also wants to start book discussion groups for out-of-the-ordinary or classics books.
“There are some really nice people in town who are experts in the classics,” Wilson said.
The shop is also available for groups who need a meeting place.
Before becoming booksellers, Cooley and Wilson had other careers: He was a chemist for Grand Junction’s water plant, and Wilson was a full-time travel agent. Bookselling started as a hobby and a part-time supplemental income.
“We’re both avid readers and book collectors,” Wilson said. “So it was a natural thing we migrated to the book business.”
Cooley primarily handles the Internet business, while Wilson runs the store, averaging 65 hours a week.
The shop is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Customers range from preschool kids to people in their 90s.
“We’ve got everybody from judges, doctors, teachers and those who come in with mismatched shoes and duct-taped glasses,” Wilson said. “Browsers are welcome.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
