Bookends Fills Void in Growing, Vibrant Community

Booksellers Harriett Christy and Ann and Bruce Dybvik of Bookends, open for just less than six months, have been getting an appreciative welcome from the community in Menomonie, Wisconsin. "Sometimes people passing by just open the door and shout, Thank You!" said Ann, who is the daughter of Christy. Menomonie was without a bookstore until Bookends opened in May, and it's the only independent within a 125-mile radius. That was partly why the trio decided on the area, as well as the fact that it's a university town. Also, Menomonie, as Ann described it, is a growing, vibrant community with the Red Cedar River running through its center.

The 2,000-square-foot, general bookstore, formerly called Northwards, had been located in Ashland, Wisconsin. For three years, Christy owned and ran it. Ann and Bruce decided to join forces with her, and they all settled on moving to Menomonie, a city of 16,000. For all three, owning a bookstore was a natural extension of their professions. Christy was a children's librarian in Au Claire, Wisconsin, for 10 years, and the Dybviks are both teachers. Ann's field is early childhood education with a background in speech and language, and autism. Ann continues to teach part-time and is also working as a consultant for teachers of autistic children. Ann said working as a consultant "helps form connections for the bookstore … it opens doors into different districts."

Bruce teaches in the Media Development department at the University of Wisconsin in Au Claire.

Ann's interest in bookselling was also motivated by her belief in the value of the independent bookstore and creating an integral community resource. "I want the store to be a place where ideas flow back and forth," she said. To fulfill that mission, the store has hosted reading clubs, writing groups, children's activities, and readings by local authors, including historian John Russell (Where the Wild Rice Grows: A Sesquicentennial Portrait of Menomonie, 1846-1996, Menomonie Sesquicentennial Commission) and author Michael Perry (Population: 485, HarperCollins). Ann told BTW that Perry, whose book is about his work as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician in his hometown of New Auburn, Wisconsin, had worked with her brother-in-law as an EMT and mentions him in Population: 485. All have been very popular within the community.

Bookends Book Sense roots go back to its prior location in Ashland. Christy signed on to the program when she opened. Ann said Bookends, which has a heavy emphasis on Children's Literature, uses the Children's 76 list frequently to recommend titles to customers, and they have it displayed in the front of the store and also in the children's section.

Commenting on the progress of their first six months, Ann said, "This month we're down, but otherwise we're doing really well. We're getting to know what categories we need to expand. We still need to learn the ebb and flow." --Karen Schechner