Once Upon a Time There Was a Wonderful Bookshoppe

When a bibliophile changes career to become a bookseller, the switch usually represents the culmination of a long-harbored love of the profession. Or not. Maureen Palacios had never considered owning a bookstore, but she just didn't want to see Once Upon a Time Bookshoppe, a 36-year-old institution in Montrose, California, go under. So last March, to save the place where her two daughters bought all their books, Palacios left a 20-year career in human resources to launch a new career in bookselling.

Palacios told BTW that her daughters, Amelia, eight, and Jessica, 10, had been visiting Once Upon a Time "since they were born." When they learned that Jane Humphrey, the original owner of Once Upon a Time, was going to have to close the bookstore unless she found a buyer, they were distraught. In a letter to the editor of the Glendale News Press, the community section of the Los Angeles Times, Amelia, with the help of her older sister, made a plea to save it. In the letter she asked, "Where will I get the next Harry Potter?" The letter generated a flurry of responses, but not many serious buyers.

Finally Humphrey said to Palacios, "Maureen, why don't you buy the store?"

But Palacios had no retail experience, and two decades invested in human resources.

Humphrey pleaded, "But I will train you!"

Palacios went home to talk the hard sell over with her spouse, Jorge. She would have to give up her career as a human resources consultant. In her field, Palacios was well known. She was an official firer -- she was called in by companies to terminate employees. "I treated everybody with respect, and the companies never got sued. I was very sought after," explained Palacios, who jokingly said that she was known as "The Terminator." But, ultimately, she didn't very much like firing people. Jorge said, "Let's give Jane a bid."

And on April 1, they'll mark their one year anniversary of bookselling with an "April Fools, We're Not Kidding" party.

To help her make the transition to bookselling, Palacios attended the Fundamentals of Independent Bookselling session at BEA in 2003. "I bought the bookstore, and two or three months later I went to BEA [BookExpo America]," Palacios told BTW. "I wish I had gone sooner."

The community of Glendale was too happy to have their bookstore saved to notice that Palacios was a neophyte. "To this day, it's almost a daily occurrence when someone comes into the store and puts their arms around me thanking me for keeping the store open for their children or grandchildren," she said.

At Once Upon a Time Bookshoppe in Montrose, California, merchandise is displayed almost entirely on antiques, with titles facing out as much as possible.

The physical appearance of the 2,200-square-foot shop, which is in a historic 1930s building, has changed little since Palacios took over. She still makes good use of the three large picture windows and, as Humphrey did. Palacios displays merchandise almost entirely without bookshelves, placing them on antiques instead. "That's the way it was, and that's the way it'll always be," she said of the arrangement. "It's the first thing people comment on when they walk in the door." The store is divided into themes, and the antiques are matched with the books displayed on them, she explained. So the pirate books are in an old treasure chest, books on gardening are on seed trays, cookbooks are in an antique pie safe. Titles face out as much as possible.

One thing that's different, however, is the categorization of Once Upon a Time. It had been a children's bookstore, but now Palacios calls it a family bookstore. She wanted to meet some of the reading needs of parents who were coming in to buy books for their kids. "Everyone loves that we now offer adult titles and YA books." Apparently, Palacios, though brand new to bookselling, has good instincts. She told BTW that since the change in format the store is doing very well. "Our sales from December of 2002 to December 2003 have increased 75 percent. I know we must be doing something right," she noted.

Soon the bookstore will carry Book Sense gift cards. The staff at Once Upon a Time has already experienced the benefits of gift cards, as consumers: Palacios keeps a gift card from a local coffee shop in the store for use by the staff whenever they want a cup of coffee. So the practicality of gift cards was something Palacios and her staff were already familiar with. "When I went to the recent forum, Oren [Teicher, ABA COO] talked about the increase in sales of gift cards over gift certificates, and I decided to get them right there and then. We also carry gift certificates, but they're not as sexy as gift cards."

After nearly a year in her new career, Palacios sounded like a pro. She was in the store on her day off, planning for BEA and author readings, and she couldn't stop recommending books. She talked about Walter the Farting Dog (North Atlantic): "Almost any boy about six years old -- that's the book for them," she said.

"Oh, and another one teachers like is Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School [Scholastic]. It's about a dog in obedience school who writes letters to his owner. It's great. It includes the body of the letter, the date, salutation; it's a wonderful teaching tool. That's what I like to do. Share good books with teachers that come in." Palacios was grateful that she had left the HR life in the past. "I don't have to worry about ruining somebody's life anymore. I'll never go back to terminating." --Karen Schechner