Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers
It looks like you host a lot of community events and outreach programs. Do you have plans for any new endeavors or expansion in the future? Or do you have a program that you currently support that you are particularly proud of?
We’re always looking for creative ways to expand our community outreach. It must be said, however, that we absolutely love our newest program, which is called The DDG Deserving Reader Award. This is a partnership with schools and non-profits to identify children who love to read but would never, due to family circumstances, be in a position to own their own books. It started when one of my publisher reps donated $25 to the store, to mark our 25th anniversary, but stipulated that the money had to go to a child who loved to read but wouldn’t be in a position own books. The Deserving Readers Program was a response to that and has been growing steadily. It allows the recipients to be able to come into DDG and get $25 worth of books for their very own. We love everything about the program.
What is the best weather for reading a book? Rainy afternoons, late-night snow storms, a sunny morning?
A weekend late afternoon, after a big hike, in which the weather was perfect for the hike but has now turned ominous, is the perfect environment for reading a book.
Do you remember the first book you put on your shelf when you first opened?
Before the store opened in May of 1991 thirty local writers and book lovers were invited to write an essay about what they look for and love about bookstores. Those thirty essays were bound and printed for us under the title of Backpacking with Bunyan & Other Confessions of Assorted Bibliophiles. They were on hand for us to hand out to customers when the store opened. We still have some left and will happily give a copy to any one of your readers who stops by the store and asks for Backpacking with Bunyan. I will also mention that our biggest hand-seller in 1991 was the terrific Possession by A.S. Byatt.
