Congratulations to Back of Beyond Books, Moab, Utah, which is celebrating its 30th birthday this month. The store said in its February newsletter: "We are not throwing a big birthday party. Rather we invite you to simply drop in this month and say 'hello.' Buy a book or two and quietly celebrate with us 30 years of bookselling in Moab. Tell us your favorite Back of Beyond Books story."
One of our favorite Back of Beyond Books stories is that of owner Andy Nettell, which he recounted in the newsletter. Noting that other than having a great-grandfather who briefly ran a feed shop in South Dakota, Nettell said no one in his family has retail experience and asked, "So how did I end up with a bookstore?" His answer: "Almost by accident. I was a career ranger for the National Park Service, landing at Canyonlands National Park in 1989. Transferred to Arches in 1994. My hobby at the time was producing folk concerts and a weekly folk/acoustic music program on KZMU. When, in 1999, our little CD store in town announced their closing, I panicked. Where on earth would I get my tunes? So I bought Music of Moab. I had no idea how to run a little retail store let alone understand a balance sheet and read a P&L statement. But I worked hard and made decisions from my heart and slowly turned around Music of Moab into a profitable business.
"And I read the tea leaves and saw digital music as the future and soon sold Music of Moab. During my years working at Arches National Park, I worked one or two nights a week at Back of Beyond Books. I loved being surrounded by like-minded people and a world of books. So in 2001, I opened Arches Book Company, right across the street from Back of Beyond. I did all I could to complement Back of Beyond by offering items that BoBB did not sell. Romance novels, magazines, genre fiction, installing a coffee bar and roasting our own coffee beans. Still had no idea how to read a Profit and Loss Statement, but simply led first with the heart, then with the head. In 2004, Back of Beyond was put on the market and I pulled off the purchase, with a little help from friends.
"Now as BoBB celebrates 30 years, I look back and marvel at my naivete as a businessman, yet quietly applaud at what has been accomplished."