APPLETON, Wis (NBC 26) -- For over forty years now a little bookstore in Appleton has managed to continue serving their clients' needs. They made it through the arrival of electronic books, Amazon's home delivery service, and now the pandemic which kept many customers at home.
There's not a lot of independent book shops anymore in Appleton. The Book Store is one of just two independent shops of its kind that still remain in the community.
"We've got a good following and that's what keeps our store alive," says Kalan Bavinck the owner of The Book Store.
Bavinck, the current owner, took over the shop three years ago. Taking on the responsibility of keeping the shop operational into its 44th year of business. Bavinck says she caters to a crowd that doesn't want to find their stories online, or from a brick-and-mortar shop that is often corporately owned.
"It does have a more of a community feel, as opposed to picking up a book off the shelf at Walmart. Nobody is going to go, oh I read that one and it was great."
And while her sprawling store features upwards of 80-thousand titles riddled across this organized maze of a store.
"Half of this shelf is not in print anymore," adds Bavinck.
It's all too often the hunt for the right book according to Bavinck, that keeps customers coming back.
"The hunt is half the fun. You're looking for this certain book to fill your collection on an author and yeah you could go online and get it, but that's not nearly as fun."
This novel job of owning a bookstore certainly has some apparent risks, but Bavinck says thanks to the community that backs her, she plans on staying in business for years and years to come.
"The best thing about an independent bookstore is what they bring to the community, which is a sense, of community."
