'A happy place connection': Greenville couple strives to keep indie bookstore alive
Feb. 7—In this day and age of Amazon, it might seem daunting to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore, but that's exactly what Margo and Bob Roberts did five years ago, when they bought the former Book Nook at 2824 Terrell Road in Greenville, and re-christened it A New Chapter Bookstore.
The seed of their adventure was planted unexpectedly the first time Margo visited the Book Nook.
"I had never been there before, but I went in with my daughter to look for a book for her," Margo recalled. "When we were checking out, the owner asked me if I 'wanted to buy a bookstore,' and I thought, 'Hmm ... do I?'"
Not long after her chance encounter, the Roberts' lifelong love of books steered them toward buying the store.
Now relocated in a 10,000-square-foot building at 111 Taylor Plaza Drive in Greenville, A New Chapter Bookstore contains about 100,000 books.
"If you're gonna walk on water, you gotta get out of the boat," Margo said of her relatively quick decision to buy a bookstore.
"People who don't get out of the boat are the norm. Water walkers are a rare breed," she added. "They seize the opportunity to do something wild, radical, crazy — if you will. They are not OK with the status quo.
"They see the need, accept the challenge, and pray like there is no tomorrow," Margo said.
On the topic of prayer, Margo credits her can-do attitude to a reconnection she had with her faith a few years ago.
"I went through a crisis of faith after having been so disillusioned at my (former) job, that I reverted to an old friend — alcohol," she said. "I was an alcoholic. I hit rock bottom, and I actually attempted suicide twice. After intensive therapy, I came out of it and I've been sober for four years, now.
"Also, now that I have my own business, I can talk to people about Celebrate Recovery (a Christian 12-step program) and Jesus," Margo said.
While her faith is central to her and her store carries several spiritual books, A New Chapter Bookstore contains several individual rooms devoted to various genres; such as mystery/crime, romance, western, history, biography, action and fantasy.
"Margo and Bob have created a happy space," said Joanne Mershon, a frequent customer. "This is a great way to meet fellow readers and connect to more good books."
On the topic of people using the store as a place to connect, A New Chapter Bookstore currently hosts more than 20 homeschool classes, a book club, a weekly Dungeons and Dragons group, as well as several one-off events.
"One time, when we were having a cookbook sale, I used my background in culinary arts and made some of the food items that were in the cookbooks, so that people could sample them," Margo gave as an example.
Some of the other special events the store has hosted include:
—Costume events
—Mother/daughter tea time
—Courtyard campouts
—Pet adoption events
—Game nights
"The smell of the books, the cozy reading nooks, and the camaraderie that comes along with spending a few hours with other book lovers in your neighborhood just can't be beat," Margo said. "As an independent retail bookstore owner in a rapidly growing digital age, it is important to recognize the major role the bookstore plays in our community."
Despite the Roberts' best efforts, though, the couple recently made the tough decision to leave the bookselling business and they are seeking a buyer to keep the store going.
"We were actually thinking about closing, because it's so hard to stay afloat as an independent bookstore, but a lot of people told us, 'No. You can't leave.' So now, we're looking for a buyer, and plan on staying for another six months to make the transition easier on everyone by teaching the buyer the ropes and explaining to them what we would have done differently if we could start over again knowing what we know now," Margo said.
