A Tiger Is Born

"My family owned a newspaper, The Westerly Sun, so I grew up around bookish, writingish people," said Katie Utter of Other Tiger Bookstore in Westerly, Rhode Island, about her motivation to open the now two-month-old bookstore. That would also explain why her brother Robert Utter signed on. Robert's wife Constance Kilgore completes the new bookselling triumvirate. Other Tiger celebrated its grand opening in early September with local author readings, including the Utters' aunt, Jean McCrosky, who wrote Secrets of the Water Rats (self-published), a memoir about growing up in Rhode Island during the 1930s and '40s.

Other Tiger's literary associations unfold a little like a Jorge Luis Borges short story, starting with the name Other Tiger, chosen, in part, because of the eponymous Borges poem, which begins: "A tiger comes to mind. The twilight here/ Exalts the vast and busy Library/ And seems to set the bookshelves back in gloom…." In addition to the references to bookshelves and verse, the reference to a library suits Other Tiger because the store sits across from the century old Memorial & Library Association of Westerly and its extensive park grounds, which, to further entangle the bookish allusions, were donated in 1898 by Harriet Wilcox, who grew up in the building that currently houses Other Tiger. "We really have karma with books," said Katie. "No one knew about the connection [with our building and the park,] but I happened to figure it out during my research."

The building, which Katie told BTW was constructed during either late 18th or early 19th century didn't have a for sale sign when the trio were hunting for space for the bookstore, but the real estate agent directed them to it, and Katie knew immediately it was perfect. The restoration process, however, was a little more time consuming than she planned, and she miscalculated the store's opening by about three months, which meant they'd prepared for the Harry Potter madness of June prematurely, ordering lots of books for a store that wouldn't be opened for business. Demonstrating a talent for creative problem solving, Other Tiger applied for a permit from the city and held a Potter Party on the lawn. "We sold a lot of books for a bookstore without a store," she said.

Other Tiger opened in early September with much of the restoration process complete. The Utters and Kilgore restored the 2,500-square-foot formal home's interior, revealing high ceilings and maintaining the divisions that comprise "lots of littlish rooms," said Katie. They use the rooms to house the different genres. One small space, with a bay window that overlooks the park, holds mind, body, spirit and self-help books. Another room is solely for children's literature.

The Book Sense Bestseller List is displayed on a table near the entrance, with a bookcase of more bestsellers nearby.

In the main room near the entrance, Other Tiger keeps its Book Sense Bestseller List display table with some of the titles, which change weekly, in wooden stands. Next to the table is a big bookcase filled with more bestseller titles.

Katie explained that she had worked for Barnes & Noble for two years before opening Other Tiger. She had convinced Robert to work there also, and they both discovered they wanted to open their own bookstore. Among the things the Utters learned from their experiences at Barnes & Noble was the marketability of electronic gift cards. "I feel strongly about the whole gift card thing," said Katie. "I saw how well they sold when I worked at Barnes & Noble. People would pick up a few $10 cards and throw them on the pile [of merchandise being purchased]. And the Book Sense ones are beautifully designed. They're practically a gift in themselves."

"It's a lot of fun," said Katie about owning and running a new bookstore. "It's challenging, but I wouldn't want to be bored. I think I'll never be bored again. Our customers tell us they're thrilled they won't have to go to a big box store to buy their books. Westerly needed a bookstore, the downtown is growing in leaps and bounds, and there's a wonderful new energy. A revival theater is opening that'll show old movies and have a café. It's all perking up. I think we came in at the right time." --Karen Schechner