The latest subject of Bookselling This Week's "What's in a Name?" series is the Barn Owl Books & Gifts in McCall, Idaho, which opened last summer. "Owls have always been an important part of Amy Cooper’s life, so when she and her husband were generating names for their bookstore, owls kept coming to mind," BTW noted.
"The image of a barn owl kept coming up for me. I have always been drawn to owls and so had my mom," Cooper said. "As my husband, Mike, and I were readying the store to open last year, I was looking through some items I had inherited from my folks, but hadn't looked through since we moved. I unwrapped something wrapped in bath towels. It was a carved wooden barn owl that my dad had bought for my mom many years ago. It now sits in front of the cash wrap, greeting our customers."
Cooper has been able to incorporate her love of animals and wildlife into more than just the store’s selection: "This summer, we began a partnership with our local animal shelter, MCPAWS. We host an adoptable cat at the store until someone falls in love and adopts them. They get the run of the store and love hanging out on the sales floor. And the best part is we build a literary theme around each cat. We’ve helped find homes for 10 cats so far, including Hemingway, Pete the Cat, Grey Catsby, and our current feline guest, Professor Minerva McGonagall."
Cooper's official title is CEO--Chief Executive Owl. "Throughout much of my career, titles mattered. It reflected where you were in your career and your organization and I took them rather to heart," she said. "When I opened the Barn Owl, what mattered was that I was doing something I loved and it felt freeing to have some fun with my title."