Former Pizzeria Serves Up Books and Crafts With a Side of Merit Badges

Fireside Bookstore occupies a two-story, A-frame building in Forest City, a town in the foothills of Western North Carolina. Formerly a pizza restaurant, the site has been home to a bookstore since 1990. In July 2005, the bookstore was purchased by Suzanne Ledford and her mother, Sheila.

Suzanne Ledford was no stranger to Fireside Bookstore: she had worked for the previous owners since she was 16 years old, except for a few years away to attend college. The Ledfords decided to buy the bookstore together, with mother, Sheila, handling the business end, and Suzanne working in the store, ordering the books, and fielding interviews. Fireside also employs another seven people who work part-time.

The unusual building provides a spacious 2,500 square feet of retail space. In July 2006, the Ledfords transformed a balcony into an attractive children's area, featuring a colorful mural and room for a reading area and crafts. "It's become a real 'Wow, mom, look at this,' kind of place for kids," Ledford told BTW.

In addition to an expanded collection of children's books, Fireside carries general books, Putumayo World Music CDs, and Boy Scout uniforms and supplies. Ledford explained that the nearest place to purchase the Boy Scout items was an hour's drive away. The store fills a community need, and they are considering adding Girl Scout clothing, too.

The store hosts books clubs, a Dungeons and Dragons group, story hours, and regular meetings of the Fireside Fiber Arts Circle. For author visits and signings, the store serves coffee, tea, and snacks. The lineup is a mixture of popular local and regional authors and some nationally recognized names, such as Ann B. Ross and Cassandra King. The store's closest neighbor is a four-screen movie theater that joins forces with Fireside for the popular Harry Potter debut parties.

Ledford is exploring creating an online community for the store through BookSense.com. She is very enthusiastic about the Book Sense Picks list and told BTW that, "Our readers really respond to anything they find on that list. I hand them the list, they read the books, and come back to tell me they loved it. Some customers frequently ask for the list. We can't read everything; it's great to know what other booksellers have liked." -- Nomi Schwartz