And the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book - A Memoir of Friendship

I had read and enjoyed Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap novels (Big Stone Gap,Big Cherry Holler,Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap) when they were first released a while ago. So I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this little mountainous corner of southwestern Virginia before I picked up this book. It's almost ironic that Wendy Welch and her husband Jack Beck choose this very town as the site that could fulfill their long-time dream: to own a used bookstore. Had either one of them ever run a small retail business? No. Did they know anyone in Big Stone Gap beforehand? No. Did they have sizable capital to invest in a new venture? No. Were the local and national economies robust enough to encourage such an endeavor, right out of the chute? Not really. But these challenges didn't stop Wendy and Jack from launching themselves into the fray. They were lovers of books, after all. And they wanted to share that passion and ignite it in others.

Wendy relates the sketchy beginnings of Tales of the Lonesome Pine Used Books, as well as the fish-out-of-water encounters with local residents. In this respect, the narrative resembles the stories of most small but gradually vibrant businesses. Readers can approach this tale in several ways. They can appreciate it as a good-things-eventually-happen-to-good-people story. They can smile and laugh at the questions and antics of the quirky customers the store owners get to meet. They can savor it as a darned good story that happens to be based on books and literature. Or they can understand it as either a cautionary tale or one of ultimate inspiration. The first page reads: "If you have ever walked away from doing something 'important' to do something better, this book is dedicated to you. It's also dedicated to everyone who loves books." A wide audience.

Each chapter starts with an appropriate quote; and none of them are the tired and overly used ones that we run across often enough. (Some, I had to write out and save for my own collection.) They mirror the chapter themes. Late in the book, Wendy reveals her top reading recommendations, along with a follow-up list of "Classics that shouldn't be." Whether you agree or disagree with her assignments, this section provides much food for thought. If someone asked *you* for advice on a few good books that everyone should read, what would you come up with?

"The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap" is a must for book lovers, wherever they may be. Adriana Trigiani fans should enjoy it, too, if they are willing to dabble with nonfiction. And if this story resounds with folks who decide to make the trip over the Blue Ridge Mountains to see the shop in person, so much the better. Let's keep the independents alive!

If you're a bibliophile you most likely thought about it yourself. Your very own bookstore. In The Little Bookstore Of Big Stone Gap Wendy Welch and her husband make that dream come true. In a spur of the moment decision they buy an old Edwardian home to open their own used bookstore. Of course it's a long way from a dream to a working business, especially if you have no business plan.
This is a quaint and wholesome story about a small town bookstore and its people. Putting their hearts, as much as part of their personal library onto those empty shelves, this venture proved to be a real page turner for me. Yet I'll be the first to admit that you should love books, otherwise this book might not captivate you as much as it pulled me in.
Both warmhearted and fun Wendy sure managed to put a smile on my face from the first page on. Not only can you feel the love for books between the lines, she is also a wonderful writer, not just bringing her experiences and observations to paper, but making them come alive in the reader's mind. I could literally see myself browsing those shelves, catching glimpses of the cats (and dogs) of the house, and mingling with the regulars. I'm in love with this place already!
Too bad the book doesn't include pictures of the shop which would have really rounded off the picture.
In short: A bookishly charming memoir!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Starting a small business is tough in many ways--Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. If they do, they're fooling themselves as well as trying to fool you. Wendy Welch and her Scottish Folk Singer Husband, Jack Beck, had been dreaming about owning a book store forever. Besides providing a valuable service to the community, promoting literacy and a strong inclination to make a difference in the world around them were also part of their goals. Courageously, they left life and careers of a super stress-filled city and settled in the Appalachian coal town in Virginia named Big Stone gap. Wendy and Jack spontaneously purchased an Edwardian mansion which was loved at first sight and seemed to fit perfectly into the plans pictured in their minds. Their adventures began, not on a grand scale as they had hoped. There were many obstacles in their way--money being the first, stock to sell second, plus the economy stunk, the sleepy little community had no industry, ( other than charm and natural beauty), plus around the same time, the e-reader was about to explode onto the scene. How to compete? Where to start? Their dream to reality was a learning curve from the very first day. Building shelves, stocking used but not abused books (including some out of their own private library), discovering what their customers were interested in reading and maintaining a business on a shoestring was a lot to contend with in a short period of time. But the most frustrating of all was convincing the population of Big Stone Gap and surrounding areas that they weren't going to disappear into the night--that they were there for the long haul and to provide a service that all ages could enjoy. After many headaches and heartaches, they have met and retained the friendships of many varied personalities and learned life lessons from them along the way as well. You'll enjoy the stories, both sad and humorous, that Wendy has compiled along with the details of their struggle for success accompanied by their 2 dogs, 2 cats, a full kettle always boiling and the ever-present, tempting plate of shortbread. I could identify with the struggles and triumphs they have achieved and I applaud their spirit, tenacity, drive, ingenuity and compassion for their fellow man (or woman). No matter what the business, you have to have a listening ear and an understanding heart, and Wendy and Jack embody both. If you haven't added this to your TBR list, I strongly suggest that you do--and if you enjoy this volume as much as I have, subscribe to Wendy's blog at: [...]
and keep in touch with Wendy and Jack and all of the trials and tribulations of the Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap.
Nancy Narma

I found this book on another person's Pinterest board. Since the person and I seemed to have similar reading tastes, I pinned it on my board and checked it out from the local library. I absolutely loved it and ended up buying three more copies from Book Outlet to give to friends as gifts. Wendy and Jack and the cats and cast of small town characters in this story are just the perfect company you want to settle down with in a comfortable chair with a hot cup of tea. Anyone who opens a used bookstore in an old Victorian house has got to be a little quirky -- and Wendy and Jack are delightfully so. You'll enjoy reading about their creation of The Love Shack, their failure to make the cut for the Kiwanis Club, how they learn what books to buy in order to stay in business, and how the bookstore grows in acceptance to become a community center of sorts. In fact, their pastor-friend wisely notes that their bookstore operates in many ways like a "church" -- nourishing people, extending hospitality, caring for people in practical ways. If you love little independent bookstores, get this book!

Wendy and her Scottish husband Jack jump blindly into their dream of owning and operating a used bookstore. With high expectations and little understanding of the pitfalls of opening a business in a tiny Virginia town, they begin living their dream hoping it doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

Challenges surrounded them. They do not have enough capital to stock the store with books, were clueless when it came to appraising collectible books and were considered outsiders by the locals. Luckily, their dream, desire to succeed and determination helped them through the difficult times.

This is so much more than a memoir about starting up a small business and following your bliss even when times are tough. It is a love story between Wendy, Jack, the locals and books.

Several times while reading this treasure, I smiled to myself thinking Wendy is profound and eloquent. Her stories brought the bookstore visitors to life. The descriptions and stories about the books she loves and sells gave me too many additions to my “to read” list.

One of my favorite quotes in this book is credited to Alan Bennett’s The History of Boys, “The best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—that you thought special, particular to you. And there it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” Every reader has felt this at least once, and I hope often. Thanks to Bennett for expressing what we feel and to Welch for sharing.

My fabulous Aunt Cindy gave me this book for Christmas. When I told her how much I loved it (after staying up way too late finishing just one more chapter the day I started it) she said she worried because I read so much and it looked different from the usual type of books. She was right that it was different, and should not have worried. This is a book for bibliophiles and tentative readers alike.

In the spirit of the Little Book Store, I will share this book with family and friends. I can’t wait to take the list of books culled from the pages to my local used bookstore, Culture Stock, to see if I can pick up a few of them. I encourage you to do the same.

Readers are fey creatures. They particularly gravitate toward used bookstores, always hoping to find a new author or that old favorite, unthought-of of for years. Wendy Welch, in The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, has zoned in on this love of books perfectly.

A bookstore, of any kind, creates community. Nowhere is that more obvious than in a used bookstore. This reviewer once owned a used bookstore, so the trials and tribulations of getting a store off the ground, the interesting and bizarre customers, and the struggles to create a viable business are all familiar. As Wendy says, "...the sense of perspective that a bookstore imposes is life-altering." Friendships are formed, a sense of community and integral connection to the town are on-going and essential.

Welch's writing style is casual and personable, much as one imagines her store to be. Her husband, Jack Beck, and her cats (and later, dogs) wander in and out of the tale, enhancing the reader's amusement and the sense of being in the middle of the store, watching the goings-on. Yet the story is not just of the creation of a bookstore in a community without one, but a story of marriage, and how the Welch-Beck duo got to the point of wanting to craft a bookstore from their past experiences and present dreams. Snidely clever remarks about the corporate world and intimate narratives of a new life-in-the-making create interesting reading!

It isn't all sunshine and lollipops, though. There is much skepticism from the town and vocal naysayers who believe the small town cannot support a bookstore. Tales of the Lonesome Pine Used Books is a salmon, fighting to swim upstream against a tide of people who believe that anything new is questionable, and anything that bucks the system may be dangerous. In the twenty-seven chapters of this book, Welch discusses it all. She discourses on being created, as well as creating, community. She laughs at her mistakes and groans over such new struggle: how to get stock, how to tempt customers in, and the love of books and sisterhood that the Yarn Goddesses bring to Tales of the Lonesome Pine Used Books. Each step of the way, she is frank, funny, and full of fighting spirit.

Since the purpose of a bookstore with a sense of community is to provide an openly-spirited forum for conversation, and intellectual pursuit, the ability to laugh at oneself becomes paramount. Welch does this beautifully, while bringing to life a real struggle to accomplish what she and Beck set out to do. They will never become rich jet-setters, or wealthy trendsetters. And that is okay, for their dream is ever-evolving; constantly learning, growing, changing and bringing new life and interests. The book is inspirational for those looking for their own dreams and connectivity, as well as being an entertaining and laid-back look at one couple's journey into making a dream come true.

What a beautiful story! The title suggests something simple, and you can read it that way, with plenty of business and writing tips, but there is so much more -- so much worldly wisdom and soul, and so many fine turns of a phrase. The story of Wendy Welch and her Scots husband Jack Beck leaving behind an urban world of reading for work to open a bookstore in the coalfields of southwestern Virginia is a tale of grit, compassion, and wit; two people "living as gracefully as fish astride mopeds." Read it through `til the end, and read it for the joy of reading; you will be a better person for it. Genuinely funny moments abound, but also poignancy. The chapter on "The Last Cowboy" is worth the price of the book, but the keenly observant yet entertainingly brief stories of persistence, acceptance, and the benefits of giving back to the community and humanity are profound. As Welch writes, the "most important stories found in a bookshop aren't in the books; they're in the customers." Even when having conversations "with no meaning but lots of volume." And, of these customers, "Mountains may have formed their backbones, but dreams light their eyes." As one with southwestern Virginia roots, that rings so true. Sometimes Welch has a way of "revealing meaning by obscuring it," but the anecdotes of her purple fuzzy slippers or the remnants of a night of friskiness are priceless. Don't miss this one. It makes me want to visit the "Tales of the Lonesome Pine" bookstore.

Such a delight, this book, that I ordered copies for several of my reading friends. A warmhearted, generous tale of hope, perseverance, the making of a livelihood and a life, written by a kind and intelligent woman whom I'd love to have as a neighbor and count among my friends. And a gentle reminder that even very difficult things and times..... may still be very good.

Book #64 Read in 2013
The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch

This is a great non-fiction read. It tells the story of Jack and Wendy, a married, artsy couple, who decide to open up a used bookstore in Big Stone Gap, an Appalachian coal town. The book honestly details the struggles of opening the bookstore, keeping it afloat, building a customer base and being allowed into the inner circles of the town. The writing style is great in that the book reads like fiction and the townspeople/characters are vividly described in wonderful detail. They are quite the crew. I very much enjoyed this book.

[...]

Following their hearts, Wendy and Jack Welch leave life in the fast lane to move to small town Appalachia. With no idea how they were going to do it, they proceed to buy an old house and open a bookstore. In this day of electronic books, computers and technology, against all odds, their little dream was becoming a reality.

What follows is that the community embraces Wendy, Jack, their cats and dogs, and the little bookstore. This is a very special memoir about special people coming together as a community, epitomizing community spirit and faith.

Wendy Welch writes with heart, soul, and humour. She not only loves books but is a wonderful storyteller, as well. This heartfelt book is for all bibliophiles, cat (and dog) lovers, dreamers and believers.

This writer and her husband are a pleasure to know through this book's commentary of their life in a small town while hanging out on a limb with a new business and a thin financial life line. I'm not going into detail here, but this book was a special read yesterday on my birthday, and I am going to be sad to see it end. It is very difficult to pull something like this off so well - professionally written with more skill than at least half of the books I regularly work through. Interesting real folk in an interesting book business they made their own in an unlikely time and place. Thanks for the great read.

Wendy Welch's fascinating book, "The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap," is poignant and reminiscent of many small towns and communities in America. Her heartwarming yet objective story is filled with interesting and funny, as well as multi-faceted characters, including the author herself and her Scottish husband, Jack. The chapter entitled "Last Cowboy" is worth the price of the novel. Wendy Welch "gets it" in relating her vignettes of local characters and community dynamics, most critical being acceptance by locals of newcomers. Her witing style will appeal to avid, discerning readers. She comments on the writing scene with insight and wisdom, thanking Pat Conroy, a favorite of many of us, for getting her back into reading after burn-out with academic and business related reading/writing. She has some very cogent comments on the craft of writing and what makes for enduring tales. Working as a community and integrating into the local fabric and life is not easy, particularly in smaller towns. Wendy and her husband bridged those gaps and hollers, creating a used book store which has become a community center. Not too shabby and kudos to her (and Jack) for their stick-to-ititve-ness and timeless message.
FIVE STARS!
JonRePell, Agent Provocateur & Author in Progress/Regress & Serial Citizen Kane

A native of the tiny town described within the pages of this book I found myself looking back at every moment within small town living that resulted in being ostracized myself for simply being different from the standard citizen. This memoir tells not just the story of a couple who find themselves strangers in a closed off society - but reminds those of us who exist on the outside of that society looking inward that we are not alone in the world. We simply have not had the good fortune to find others, like ourselves, who seek another view of this mountain hamlet than our standard society seeks to allow. The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is more than a depository of books. The shoppe is an unlicensed intellectual pub by way of the church of the community of the like-minded and loving neighbours. Within the walls of the Victorian on Clinton Avenue, one finds tomes, tea and the right to laugh or weep with abandon and no judgments levied. In this house of books, I found friendship and contentment - things hard to come by for misfits within that society. Every page of the book recalled to mind moments of joy and sadness, while affirming my faith in the possibility of happiness - wherever one may find themselves. Wendy Welch's pages honestly and fairly represent the best and worse of small town society as her fluid, gentle stylistic choices lull the reader into a contented humor not unlike the pleasant feeling of sipping warm tea on a winter's day among friends. Choose this tome as the comfort text of the harsh winter or any time one needs to feel they are among friends - there will be no disappointment.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap takes a town and its people, a store and its customers, and the elusive essence of what readers love about books, and illuminates it all. As a narrative about the practicalities of the modern bookstore business it is down-to-earth, unsentimental and realistic. Yet behind this honesty is a very real aspiration to pursue what we actually want from life and proof that the pursuit of dreams is often unglamorous but worthwhile work. LBBSG does not offer the simple platitudes we usually associate with pursuing our passions. Instead it shows one couple's path toward genuine contentment and the deliberate practice that it takes to find it.

In addition to its core emotional honesty, LBBSG is also plain funny. I imagine it's a secret held between most small-business owners: customers come in many different forms, and some of those forms are flat-out strange. But LBBSG doesn't get laughs from mocking people, but through a clear-eyed sense of the absurd and the things that make every one of us interesting characters.

I've since had a practical lesson in how accurate LBBSG is about Big Stone Gap and bookstore life. While I read the book before I had ever set foot in Big Stone Gap, I've since spent a great deal of time at the bookstore, meeting the book's characters and learning firsthand what it means to run a small-town bookstore. This makes my review biased, but also uniquely qualified to state that The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap stands on its own as a reading experience and has the additional advantage of being accurate and true to the nature of the bookstore life, its customers, and the town of Big Stone Gap itself.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is honest above all. It captures life, both generally and in the specifics of life in a small town, without simplifying or packaging into neat parables. And shouldn't that be the goal of every memoir?

There are few avid readers I suspect who have not dreamed of opening a bookstore, one that becomes the hub of a community, with loyal customers and generous patrons. Wendy Welch and husband, Jack Beck took a gamble on opening a second hand bookstore in Big Stone Gap (the Appalachian town featured in Adriana Trigiani's series) with little more than a dream and a handful of paperbacks, in the midst of a recession.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is the charming tale of Wendy and Jack's journey from their used book shop's impulsive inception to a thriving store in a small community. Started on a shoestring budget in a town that expected the 'outsiders' to flee within six months, Jack and Wendy worked hard to create a going concern that slowly gained the loyalty of the locals and became an important part of the community.

Wendy is a personable narrator with a conversational writing style. The anecdotes Wendy relate veer between funny, tender and sad about her and Jack's own adventures (or misadventures), and her quirky clientele. Wendy's passion for her store, books and her community is evident on every page. It's heartwarming to read of Wendy and Jack's business ethos, where people matter more than profit. Tales of the Lonesome Pine develops into more than just a second hand book business, as its proprietors reaches out to their community. Be warned though, Wendy's disdain for 'box stores' (chain booksellers) and the store which may well offend some readers.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap is a delightful memoir which I very much enjoyed reading. And Tales of the Lonesome Pine is certainly a place I would love to someday visit and I hope will still be there, just as described, should that miracle ever occur!

Coming from a small town in Southwestern Virginia is not always the easiest walk in life. Sure, you have that sense of community and knowing your neighbors, and the feel that nothing bad can ever happen, but once you get away you are constantly stereotyped as soon as you open your mouth. I have spent my entire life running away from that image and from the place I was born. I recently graduated college and moved away to a bigger city, convinced that I would find my dream job, but in the midst of a failing economy I succumbed to a service industry job much like the one I left behind. I fully intend on going back to school, I just wanted a break. Lately though, seeing older friends finish graduate school and still not being able to find decent jobs, I have felt thoroughly downcast. I continually find myself asking, what was the point? Wendy's book helped to restore my faith in humanity and my own future. She has proven that it is plausible to expect and work for real happiness in life. When I finished her book, I was proud of where I came from; that's not to say that I plan on moving back home, but I better appreciate my roots. In "the country" we look after our own. Wendy's book proves that. My goal in life is to find my own place in this world and mold young minds as a History professor. Wendy's book disproves some Appalachian stereotypes and reinforces others, but I think the rest of the USofA could learn a lot from the residents of Big Stone Gap. Since when did knowing and caring about your neighbor become such a bad thing? Yes, it takes time and "time is money" but the rewards of having another person care about your well being are far greater for the soul (and I say this as somebody who is not a Christian.) This country needs to realize that a large reason for the failing economy is the fact that America no longer produces anything. It is the land of big corporations and service industry jobs. We need more small, independent businesses but they can't survive if you don't give them their lifeblood; all it takes is your support. I realize this is turning into a rant as opposed to a review, so I will end it here. Wendy's book is one of hope; a story of overcoming obstacles to make her community a better place.

LOVED IT! This book was awesome. A couple realizes their dream of owning a used bookstore and do it in Big Stone Gap, VA. Reading the book, you feel like you are sitting in a chair in store and wishing you lived there. Quirky couple, funny customers - it has it all. I convinced two of my book loving friends to take a trip to the store in December. I can't wait. Buy this book!

Absolutely loved this book! Sweet, charming, funny, and yet very poignant too! Definitely a new favorite for me. I'm trying to remember how I came across the book and ordered the sample, and I honestly don't have a clue. But I LOVED IT and so glad it found it's way to me--even if it was in the "evil" form of a Kindle book--haha! (Side Note: I'm also thankful to find a great book not riddled with profanity. To each his own, eh? Just not a fan.)

I read this book without much anticipation of it being a good read, just the next new book in my pile, but was i ever wrong. This book grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let go until I had turned the last page and even then, it's still very much a part of me. I liked this book so much, I ordered a dozen copies from my bookclub and gave them as Christmas presents so I could share this wonderful books with friends. Wendy writes in such a down home comfortable fashion, like every time i picked up this book, I was sitting down with a good friend, a cup of tea, a box of chocolates, and a soft warm blankey. This is how reading this book made me feel. I'm a simple person with simple tastes and interests and have never really had a bucket list but now i have one. It has one item on it and that's to go to Big Stone Gap and visit this bookstore, the cafe upstairs, the cats, and to actually meet Wendy and Jack, two people who I feel like I already know through Wendy's book.

I just finished reading Wendy Welch's book "The Little Bookstore in Big Stone Gap." I share Wendy's affection for this small mountain town and its quirky cast of characters. Adriana Trigiani may have made Big Stone Gap famous, but Wendy Welch made me fall in love with it. How wonderful to know that one can follow one's dream and actually attain happiness!

I have visited the cafeteria in The Mutual Pharmacy and have been in the audience of the "Trails of the Lonesome Pine" outdoor drama. They are just as charming in person as they are in Wendy's book, and well worth a visit.

I loved Jan Karon's series about the fictional town of Mitford, and I visit Mitford often in my daydreams. Big Stone Gap is an real town, and just a few miles from my hometown of Wise. I hope to be a frequent visitor.

A hilarious, insightful, and frolicking reflection on life as an academic turned bookseller. I'm sure Wendy also has a bright future as a stand-up comic. Her stories are believable yet adorable and her anecdotes are knee-slappers and side-splitters.

As a life-long bookseller of new and used books with a vacant apartment upstairs, I could never screw up the courage to live above the shop; that doesn't mean that I didn't sleep there occasionally during all night work sessions. Even after 45 years in the business, I learned a few things about bookselling from Wendy's tome.

"Little Bookstore" tells enough of the good parts to make life as a bookseller interesting and she leaves out enough of the bad parts to avoid scaring some folks out of the idea. If you are simply swayed into bookselling by the romanticism, talk to Wendy in person before you make the leap.

I look forward to meeting this unique and intriguing couple when Wendy comes to sign books for us. I predict that she will have a long career in bookselling and as an author.

I rarely use the word "delightful" in my daily life, but this book is delightful. I couldn't wait to see what interesting character would show up next. I'd recommend the book to almost anyone, but especially to people who really do love bookstores and appreciate the important purpose they serve.

I found this book exceedingly poorly written, which detracted from the purported charm of following one's "bliss" as the author calls it. For example, in the first few pages she says "we're nuts" echoed by "they're nuts" too many times, adn while clearly intended to be a humorous refrain, it falls flat, not the least because, in this day and age, who says that anyway, and also the we're nuts, meaning, we're really special and full of imagination thing is a bit disingenous. there's nothing in the writing, to indicate any real worry, it's all written on the surface, at least in the prologue and first chapter which is as far as i could stand to read. ditto, the dialogue between the author and the isn't he a cute bumpkin policeman bringing up that his brother the doctor makes more money than he does (duh) and that he's never been invited to his brother's home. i find it difficult to believe a policeman in any town, would engage in this kind of conversation with a stranger, but suspending disbelief, i then find it difficult to empathize with the author's patronizing attitude as expressed in the italicized things she thinks but is, according to herself, too smart to say aloud. she trivializes this policeman to a bumbling "character" and also turns herself and her husband into sitcom characters. and, to throw in the last, she asks us to take her word for it that everyone at a particular agency was a snake in a snake pit, which she attempts to prove by giving rather convoluted examples of office behavior which she makes no effort whatsoever to do anything about other than to complain how much above it all she is...I say yech.