Osondu Booksellers: Enhancing Life in Waynesville

Osondu Booksellers is an African-named general bookstore in Waynesville, North Carolina, owned by a woman originally from Massachusetts, who then lived in Maryland and who planned to open a bookstore in Syracuse, New York. Margaret Osondu, who adopted her surname with spouse, Scott, when they married 15 years ago, is very pleased that seven months ago she ended up owning a bookstore in this small town at the eastern entrance of the Smoky Mountains.

Osondu told BTW that her search for a bookstore took six months, beginning in late 2003. "We were living in Annapolis, and I was considering opening the store in Syracuse. I was involved with a downtown development group there that was looking for someone to open an independent bookstore," explained Osondu. "We had vacationed in North Carolina, and on a visit there [in May 2004], I discovered Waynesville --a beautiful town in the mountains. I went into the bookstore in town, The Waynesville Book Company, and told the owner [Kent Stuart] that I was thinking about buying a bookstore. His response was, 'Well, do you want to buy mine?' He hadn't listed it for sale yet, but he intended to sell it soon. My husband and I had come to North Carolina frequently for vacation, and I thought that Scott would love to live here. We decided to do it.

"We sold our house in Annapolis, and, on September 1, the same date Kent had purchased the store five years earlier, we bought it."

The Osondus attended the ABA-sponsored Booksellers School during BookExpo America 2004 in Chicago, and Margaret gained the confidence to take the reins from Stuart. The transition was eased by the presence of Karen VanEman, a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature and formerly on staff at the Waynesville Book Company. Osondu's daughter, Amanda Lydon, is manager of the store. Her experience as an editor and writer has added depth to the store's offerings.

When the Osondus took control of the store, Margaret said, "We didn't want to make any big changes before the holidays, so we just changed a few details and doubled our inventory. We closed the store for eight days in February and did a total renovation. We maintained the feel of a small town bookstore, but we updated everything. We added a seating area and made the best use of our 1,300 square feet of selling space.

"Our sales were up 20 percent over last year and that includes the eight days we were closed. I started with a customer base, and that's been very valuable. We might have made use of the inventory lists offered by Ingram and other distributors instead of researching our own, but ... we ended up going over the Book Sense Picks, Publishers Weekly, bestsellers lists, and Book Sense Best Books of the First Five Years (Newmarket). There had been big holes in the literary fiction section, and once we had it in the store, people bought it."

Membership in the Southeast Booksellers Association has been very helpful, according to Osondu, and Book Sense has added depth to the store from the beginning. Gift cards sold well over the holidays and have been used as prizes for various events. "We get free advertising from them," said Osondu.

Building a website had been difficult for Osondu. "The two other bookstores in the area have websites, and our customers kind of expect one. I had been struggling to put one up, and then I discovered BookSense.com. If only I had known before ... it is so easy to work with," said Osondu, who expects to launch the store's BookSense.com site soon.

"People are always thanking us for being here, and we've done quite a few things in our seven months," continued Osondu. "Amanda has started a writing workshop for teens, and we've had a reading of their work. We received a grant from the local Kiwanis Club for improving childhood literacy, and we are co-sponsoring a large book fair in August with many authors signing and reading."

And about the name -- Margaret Osondu explained, "It means one who never ceases in the effort to enhance or preserve life." --Nomi Schwartz