An open book

Jun. 11—While the Buckmaster's dogs may be sans tails, their new bookstore is chock full of them.

Last Saturday, the much-anticipated Taleless Dog Booksellers held a grand opening for the community with author book signings and readings from Hasan Davis and Melissa Newman.

According to owners Clark and Susan Buckmaster, the vision for The Taleless Dog Booksellers was years in the making.

"We have talked about opening a bookstore for 25 years," Clark Buckmaster said.

The husband and wife owned a small coffee shop in Louisville for many years and dreamed of selling books in addition to their cups of Joe.

"Next to our shop was a vacant space, and we would just hang out in the coffee shop and dream about knocking a hole in the wall and having a bookshop next door," Susan Buckmaster recalled. "We never got around to it, until now."

While the much-envisioned bookstore was never constructed in Louisville, The Taleless Dog Booksellers dwelling is one with a lot of history.

Berea's newest bookstore is located on 204 Estill Street, behind the Berea College Log House Craft Gallery, in the historic Sunshine Ballard Cottage.

The Buckmaster's renovated the small space which now sports purple walls and shelves of new books and from popular, regional and local authors.

The Taleless Dog Booksellers also sells children's and young adults books.

"They are new to us, but we have quickly realized how much fun they are. They are some great children's books out there." Clark Buckmaster said of the store's selection of books geared to younger audiences. A particular favorite of the owner's is the "Return of the Underwear Dragon" by Scott Rothman.

Opening a bookstore was a natural fit for the Buckmasters, who are voracious readers.

"We love books, it's how we spend our free time," Susan Buckmaster said.

However, the couple admitted their personal preference in reading materials is very different.

"For me, I read fiction. I don't read life. I live real life. I want to escape and take a journey and don't want to get on a plane to do it. Plus I learn. I retain all these useless facts... it's learning, but not in the traditional sense. Susan is the exact opposite," Clark Buckmaster explained.

Susan Buckmaster leans towards non-fiction.

"I'm not a fiction-reader. I read to learn. Every book I read, I want to learn something from. My books are dog-eared and I've highlighted in them and I write in the margins. Clark thinks that is sacrilegious," she said with a laugh.

"I do," her husband admitted.

The Buckmasters said opening day was busy with people from all over the region coming through the doors of the book shop.

"People are really excited we are open," Susan Buckmaster said. "We've had people from Lexington, Louisville, Mt. Vernon, Richmond, and even out-of-state stop by today. We've been very busy."

The couple said they hope their locally-owned bookstore will build a sense of community and hub for those who enjoy reading.

"There's something about having a small bookstore. You know the people that come in and they know you. Small bookstore owners know their customers and if you see a book they might like or know a second book is about to come out in the series you are reading, they can tell you about it. It's important for use to have that type of relationship with this town. A — Berea needs it; and B — it's the right environment for it," Clark Buckmaster said.

The Buckmasters also plan to highlight regional, Appalachian, and local authors in their store.

"They usually don't have the big publishing houses behind them. We really want to be an outlet for local and regional authors; give them a forum and dedicated space. They get lost in the big bookstores," Clark Buckmaster said.

On their grand opening day, the couple said they had approximately 1,300 books on the shelves — with plans to expand their collection — but not to overwhelming numbers.

"It is so overwhelming for customers to try and find what they are looking for among packed shelves in large bookstores. Here you can walk around and see everything pretty easily. We are going to keep that going forward," Clark Buckmaster said.

Susan Buckmaster said overloading the shelves was not necessary when the owner's can order books for customer's quite easily.

"And we get them in pretty quickly. We can even have them delivered to their door. We already have a list going of books people have asked us to order for them," she explained.

In addition to books, The Taleless Dog Booksellers also has branded coffee mugs and custom-designed t-shirts for sale.

The couple said they plan to work with local artists over the next few months to design a line of limited-edition t-shirts for customers to collect.

The store's current t-shirt features the couple's numerous tail-less dogs over the years — which also served as inspiration for the name of their business.

"We bounced ideas around for a few days. We wanted a play on words and started trying to find different words that had to with reading books. Tale came up and we looked down and all of our dogs we noticed didn't have tails. All the dogs we've ever had have been tail-less dogs. We love dogs and to have part of the theme here is fitting," Susan Buckmaster explained.

The bookstore even has a special bowl outside its door for thirsty canine customers — tail-less and tailed.

"We don't discriminate," Clark Buckmaster said with a laugh. "All customers and dogs are welcome."

Support for The Taleless Dog Booksellers has been overwhelming, the Buckmasters said. The pair received a card from Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville and flowers from the Robies in recognition of their grand opening. Robie Books was Berea's local bookstore until it closed its doors for good in 2021.

"It means a lot to us," Susan Buckmaster said of the support. "We are so grateful for the community embracing us. People are really excited to have a local bookstore again. We have heard about a hundred times today, 'Thank you for being here.'"

The Taleless Dog is currently open seven days a week.

More information about The Taleless Dog Booksellers can be found at their website at the thetalelessdog.com and their Facebook page @thetalelessdog.