Bookseller Ellen Mager, longtime owner of Booktenders' Secret Garden Children's Bookstore and Gallery in Doylestown, Pa., died January 28. For more than 35 years, she "was the life force" of the bookshop, her obituary noted, adding that the store provided "quality literature, original art by children's book illustrators, special events, and visits from authors and illustrators. She had a knack for picking the perfect book for each child and an encyclopedic knowledge of children's literature."
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Mager was active in the Doylestown community, serving on the board of the Business and Community Alliance and the Chamber Women in Business Committee as well as volunteering with schools and nonprofits. Discover Doylestown presented her with a Key to the Borough for her many years of volunteering at its annual reception.
"Ellen was a staple in our community and an absolute force of good," noted Krisy Elisii, director of marketing, events & schools at the Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops. "Many of us have fond memories of time spent with her and of time at Booktenders, fostering a love of reading.... Ellen was one of the most knowledgeable children's booksellers and was revered for her knowledge and love of authors."
Among her many accomplishments, Mager was the inaugural winner of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's Joe Drabyak Handseller of the Year Award. Accepting the award, she said it "has the added importance of being chosen by your peers, especially knowing how important the art of handselling was to Joe in his relationships with his customers. It's such an honor to be recognized for all your hard work."
When she closed Booktenders in 2019, Mager told the Intelligencer: "I love the books. But I will miss the families most of all. You get to connect with the children and their parents, and they become like family. I've been to birthday parties and graduations of children who came to the store for books. It's those connections with all the familiar faces I'll miss most."
Plans are being made to have a celebration of her life later this spring.