Blue Ridge Books & News and Osondu Booksellers in Waynesville, N.C., are merging.
Margaret Osondu, who founded her eponymous store in 2004, will become director of operations at Blue Ridge, which was founded in 2007. Her store will stay open until the end of the year, and then will be merged in Blue Ridge Books & News's site, which is five blocks away in downtown Waynesville.
Robert Baggett, president of Blue Ridge, who becomes head of the new merged bookstore, told the Mountaineer: "We have some exciting long-term plans to serve the community better. It will be a positive thing for book-lovers of Haywood County." His sister Betsy Baggett, who remains a v-p, added: "Margaret has the kind of store I always wanted to have. We have so much in common. This will make bookselling much more fun."
"It's a small town to have two little bookstores," Osondu told Shelf Awareness. She called the move somewhat bittersweet, but said she is looking forward to expanding the combined store's events schedule, increasing advertising and inventory and generally applying her bookselling expertise to the combined store's operations. She also said she happily anticipates having a regular paycheck and weekends off.
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Amanda Lydon, manager and curator at the Tenement Museum, New York City, and Margaret Osondu's daughter, offered this tribute to her mom and independent bookselling:
Osondu Booksellers is on a quaint little Main Street in downtown Waynesville in Western North Carolina. I know the shop very well. When my mother bought and opened the store five years ago, I was fortunate enough to be there. I managed Osondu Booksellers for about a year. I know the readers who live and shop there. They were an instant family to my mom and me both. My mom does an incredible job fostering a community of readers and book buyers. Within a short time, the Yankee lady from Boston was writing book reviews for the local paper, fundraising with a local writers circle and hosting several book groups. Margaret Osondu is a crucial and valuable part of her community. She runs an annual author fair that attracts writers and readers from all over the south. She works with the library. She hosts local musicians in her store.
She knows her customers. It's not uncommon for her to call me with exciting news that a customer is expecting a child or is getting married (yes, such comments may be hints). It's commonplace for my mom to call and tell me what a certain customer is reading or writing or that she's reading what they are writing. My mom grieves with her customers when they lose loved ones. When I visit, we lunch with customers, drink with customers and she hosts them in her house at holidays. The people who buy books from Osondu Booksellers are her community, our friends. My mom is certainly interested in their reading tastes and makes sure to connect with each patron via literature, but at the end of the day, she knows and understands the members of her community as complete people.
Now her store is merging with another. In an instant, the community has gained one united bookselling team. While it's emotional within our family and some people in the community may be angry or sad or feel caught off guard, this is not the story of a community losing its independent bookstore. This is the story of a shrewd businesswoman who is also a community-minded book lover recognizing an opportunity that has the potential for everyone to win. While what happens next remains a little unclear, the community will absolutely hang onto an independent bookstore. What's better? They'll still be greeted by Margaret at the store. My mom will still be the face there. She'll be the book buyer and the events planner. Instead of worrying about bills, she'll focus on which books are best for her readers. She'll continue her role in the community.
In a time when many of us are feeling downright anxious about the future of the bookselling and publishing businesses, it is more important than ever to remember that at the end of the day the most important thing is connecting with readers. My mom understands this and it is with this in mind that she embarks on her new role as bookstore employee. Her community is blessed to have her!