By Patricia Measer
This week’s business spotlight from The Lakewood Historic District is focused on the Good Neighbor Bookstore. Owned and operated by Bob and Shannon Lingle, the store, originally named Off The Beaten Path, is known for its family-friendly atmosphere and diversity of books and related merchandise.
The Lingles purchased the bookstore in 2018 and moved it next to Ryders Cup Coffee Shop in the district. According to Bob, the business was doing well until the COVID lockdown. “Then we had to really rethink what we were doing, to keep the business going,” says Bob. Because of the lockdown, many people suddenly had time to read, and were calling them to ask about books. But Bob said they didn’t want to rely on only phone orders. Also, they wanted to have a plan for what their business would look like after lockdown.
First, they created a website for the bookstore and started selling books online. They partnered with an online vendor called “Bookshop”, for their expertise and support. Then, they started offering curated book boxes and gift certificates that could be purchased online. They embraced the use of technology in their business with software to monitor both sales and purchases. The Lingles stopped buying books from wholesalers and switched to buying directly from publishers, even connecting their inventory list with publisher’s warehouses to provide better service.
The next step was to create a presence on TikTok, which Bob says became a key to their success post-COVID. For example, Bob pre-ordered 5,000 copies of the famous thriller author Jack Carr’s latest book, hand signed, with a bullet in the cover. He sold over 500 of those the first day it was announced on TikTok, and had to ask the local post office to carve out space specially for those books in anticipation of their delivery.
Another change was to move the store up a couple of blocks to a bigger storefront. The Lingles used the space to feature more books, rearrange special interest sections and set up new bookshelves and reading areas. “We had a lot of support from the community to re-open,” says Bob. “We love the historic district and wanted to stay there, but we also wanted to offer something new to the community when we re-opened.”
When asked what he feels is the best part of working in Lakewood Historic District, Bob answered unequivocally, “The relationships with the other businesses here.” The owner of Pea Pod & Juniper brings flowers to the store’s anniversary celebration every year, for example. The Lingles promote Bag & String at the bookstore and vice versa. They sometimes offer discounts to each other’s customers and have supported each other’s events, such as when Bag & String employees served wine at a book signing.
Their reflection on the relationships they have cultivated with customers and fellow business owners prompted the Lingles to change the store’s name. “We wanted the name to reflect our desire to be good neighbors, and to provide a space where our neighbors can visit,” says Bob. He adds that they want to be known not only for selling books, but also for making connections with people and providing a level of service that makes customers want to come back.
For Bob and Shannon, part of making connections means working with organizations in the community. The Lingles help local schools acquire books when needed. They worked with the YWCA to purchase children’s books and collaborated with the Jackson Center on literacy nights to promote adult reading. They also raised funds for the Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County by selling a fictional book about suicide and donating a portion of the proceeds. This month the bookstore is partnering with CASA in their Pinwheels for Prevention campaign.
Bob is passionate about books and says he has no regrets about the business. “The only thing I ever regretted was bringing my six-month-old into work one day,” he quipped.
The Lingles believe it’s important to keep local bookstores alive in this age of being able to buy on Amazon. Bob noted that books are one of the few goods that have their price as an actual part of the item, which is supposed to keep things fair. However, he says Amazon tends to sell for less than that, thus cutting into authors’ royalties. By buying from an independent bookseller, buyers support the authors.