123 N. Main Street, Hutchinson, KS 67501
http://www.bookendshutch.com
Hutchinson didn’t have a used bookstore and, after the couple had attended a workshop in Colorado, they learned about antique books. Today, that’s their business’ specialty. (You can find new books in the bookstore across town).
At Bookends, customers can buy, sell or trade both hardback and paperback, antique books (late 1800s and early 1900s) and collectible books. The store carries many history and children’s books. The oldest book they had in the store was a 1768 book about the history of a church in Spain. It was written in Latin on parchment paper. It has since been sold.
Currently amongst their 20,000 volumes is a first edition of Jurassic Park, autographed by the author, the late Michael Crichton. Gwen’s research indicates the value of the book to be about $800. It’s priced at $600 in the store.
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| A statue of Humpty Dumpty is located at the entrance of the store. Photo courtesy of Gwen Bartlett. |
“I think it’s important to stay busy after you retire,” Gwen said about the business venture they began in 2012. The Bartletts have taken what was once a hotel built in the 19th century and transformed the street-level restaurant into the bookstore. The 20 rooms above their store are also in the process of being remodeled. They will become four apartments; the Bartletts will keep one for themselves and rent the other three.
An interesting fact they discovered about the building was that the width of the property – and many other properties on Main Street – is 25 feet. When building began along Main Street in the 1800s, businesses were taxed every 25 feet. Thus, many buildings are only a narrow 25 feet wide and then reach far back and up. Their property extends 50 feet back.
The bookstore’s mascot can be seen roaming the entire space. Mordred is a black cat that was adopted by the Bartletts from the Central Kansas Veterinary Center in South Hutchinson. His name comes from the story of King Arthur; Mordred, it is told, was a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann. The bookstore’s Mordred is not a villain, but “a sweet, gentle cat who loves to be petted.” Gwen says many customers stop in simply to see him.
This bookstore is a great find for book lovers. Their trade-in policy is fair and their selection is great. The cat is so adorable and friendly! The staff is knowledgable and friendly. This part of Kansas is dry for bookstores, and we were so excited to find it!
ReplyDeleteBook Signing at ‘3rd Thursday’ Event in Hutchinson
ReplyDeleteThe Book: “Refugees! A Family’s Search for Freedom
and a Church That Helped Them Find It”
by local author, Jeanne Jacoby Smith
When: Thursday, March 16, 2017, 5:30 – 8:30
Where: Bookends Bookstore, 123 N. Main St., Hutchinson, Kansas
About the Book
On Saturday, Thursday, March 16, 2017, from 5:30 to 8:30, the Bookends Bookstore will host local author, Jeanne Jacoby Smith, McPherson, for a book signing.. Smith’s book is titled, “Refugees! A Family’s Search for Freedom and a Church That Helped Them Find It”. The signing will take place at The Bookends Bookstore,123 N. Main St., Hutchinson, Kansas. during the Third
Smith’s husband, Herb Smith, was pastor at the Church of the Brethren in Bryan, Ohio, at the time Jeanne wrote her book about resettling a family of refugees.
“When the family arrived at the airport,” she says, “we couldn’t speak Vietnamese, and they couldn’t speak English. The only word we knew was ‘Chao’, meaning ‘Hello.’ Fortunately, two retired teachers in the congregation drove over to Fort Wayne to get training in the Laubach Method of teaching English as a Second Language. Using the Laubach workbooks, our refugee family learned a rudimentary form of English rather quickly. It was so effective that my husband later used the method to teach our little pre-school daughter how to read before she went to school.”
Smith adds, “It was several months before we were able to communicate effectively. The family worked several hours per day to learn English, and we did our best to listen to what they had to say.’ “My book focuses on how our church resettled refugees of war,” says Smith. “I wrote it as a template so readers can imagine, if just for just a few minutes, what it’s like to flee one’s homeland forever.’
“After our refugee family’s English improved,” she continues, “we learned that soldiers had ransacked their family farm, devastated their crops, and beaten the father mercilessly. When the family finally decided to flee, they left under cover of night and swam to the rescue boat with their two children strapped to their backs. Their experiences were horrific.’
“Today’s refugees’ are no different,” Smith continues. “We see refugees on the evening news, running because they’re desperate. It makes me feel bad when some people say we should close our country’s doors and forbid them entry. They wrestle with life and death when they make the decision to flee because they have no place to go.”
When the Bi Nguyen family, whose story is told in Smith’s book, fled in the1970s, they, along with other refugees and sailed to ports in a neighboring country, in hopes of receiving amnesty. Unfortunately, because thousands left before them, many countries had closed their borders and denied them entrance. Singapore and Malaysia were two that provided amnesty, but they were the exception. Adding insult to injury, pirates stormed the sea and stole their food rations. Other pirates kidnapped young women and sold them to brothels in neighboring principalities. Many refugees died due to illness and starvation.
“Refugees are not insurgents,” Smith adds. “They are people like you and me. They do what they have to do when their choices are extremely limited and it comes to survival.”
During the year that Smith’s church resettled the family, they shared the message with other churches. When they heard the refugees’ heart-rending stories, five of them took in families, as well. A presentation at their district conference generated enthusiasm among their denomination, and they helped to resettle, too.
Smith’s book signing event for “Refugees! A Family’s Search for Freedom and a Church That Helped Them Find It” will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Bookshelf in McPherson.