Carol O’Brien was a lawyer, but had reached a point where she couldn’t deal with the moral pressure of the job. She felt like she couldn’t be a good lawyer, and a good person at the same time. She also wanted more time to take care of her kids.
She found a job at a Waldenbooks. Then, she made the jump to the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver — the Cherry Creek location.
“I felt at home in that environment,” O’Brien said. “There was room for all kinds of different people. You didn’t have to fit a mold to work there. You didn’t have to wear a uniform to work there. You could have piercings, purple hair or tattoos, whatever you wanted, and it was pretty much OK.”
Now she is the general manager at Book Train, in Glenwood Springs.
Books from independent stores are personal, she said. It’s all about the connection she has with the people that come into her store, and the books they leave with.
In Aspen, people are having the same experience. When Ellie Scott came to the valley seven years ago, the first place she went was Explore Booksellers. The Victorian feel and the literature section were highlights.
“I’ve always been able to come here and feel like welcome and feel that this is a place for discourse and the exchange of ideas, and it’s always been a really great place in that regard for this community,” Scott said.
Carol O’Brien, of Book Train, said working in an independent bookstore can be challenging, especially when you can order a book online and have a digital copy instantly, or the real thing in a day or two. The real magic of the independent store, though, reveals itself when people get personal.
A man came in looking for a book for his wife. O’Brien recommended one and heard back a few days later.
“He called me on the phone to thank me and tell me how much she loved that book,” O’Brien said.
Independent Bookstore Day is on Saturday.
