Mara Panich and Barbara Theroux

00:00 Barbara Theroux. I'm 72 years old. I am here today, June 9th in Missoula Montana with my friend and someone that I mentored who is to my right.

00:17 I am Mara Planet. I am 41 years old. Today is Tuesday, June 9th, 2010, Missoula Montana and I am here with Barbara Theroux my mentor friend and colleague.

00:39 Okay, why I thought it was great that we be able to have a talk about Community First of all, I thought well a long time ago before we had a black lives matter and all the community things happened and covet that just nice to talk about this importance of community in the importance of art but I think with the happenings recently, it's more important to talk about community community as far as being ran as a community of business people of Arts people Community Regional booksellers community in National book sellers in the house that helps us focus and do things with in being

01:26 Me and my case of founder and owner of a business and you being a manager at one point and then

01:40 Look for the right person to go ahead and become a manager and that's how we found each other. I think my opinion of the bookstore and when I started working downtown at this store was

01:59 It was a lot of community in the first place. Like that was a big idea behind it and the idea of being downtown him interacting with

02:08 Mostly Missoulian, but also all the people that come through our town and gained a lot of their opinion of our town through our books and through what we have to say and what we how we interact with them and I think that conviction in particular head created that space they when I came in I felt like I was a part with my

02:34 Business plan for Falcon. I did say that you know what they look at what's an area that served and yes, it's the immediate community in and Missoula is a university committee Community as a hub Community the five Valley kind of hug with lots of Financial and business in the forest service Regional Offices. So it expanded and yet it reaches out for their beyond the county into a a Western Regional cuz there weren't very many independent bookstores with and I think one of my one of my mentors is probably like, why do you think you can reach that far? And it's like yes and these days as an internet and web and a present, so that's something I wanted to establish and it was great to do that because of their authors here that didn't feel they have

03:35 An outlet to maybe have some

03:40 Book signings and readings and let their friends be able to buy their books. I'm not sure why they didn't feel that way because there were 10 other bookstores in town when I opened, but that was okay and they really helps a lot and having different books at different times helped a lot too. So it was it was quite satisfying and you know that Community included public radio a lot of people find out about their books from where did you hear it? Turn on NPR educated

04:21 How do you think or why do you think that conviction in particular is one of the few bookstores that survived from those when you started he said they were probably 10 other bookstores in our community. What made this store in particular?

04:42 Something that survived that well, I would like to say it was time. Cuz two of those words that mean there was a book selling itself picture of bookselling chain changed, but now I have a Costco in town, but I think it was because people felt they had a community and they like what was being offered hopefully scalp that the people that worked in the store were readers and they trusted their judgment they could come in and ask for a recommendation. We worked a lot o bookstore or book club book clubs are important because of having conversations. We have a lot of authors and they appreciated what was going on and still continue that every 10 years into having the store in one location. I moved it to another one the community helper books.

05:42 The call for me will bad cards and wheelbarrows in anything. I went against anything on Wheels people came in and help move it in that looks very good feeling because I was like, yes people understand. This is their community bookstore. But as we were getting the space ready the results of the opposite that happened somebody would walk by and say all that we need a bookstore.

06:18 And also no matter what you do, that's why you need your own community of what you belong to or who your friends are. I mean the time when I first open my sons were young enough they were in school and soccer and band and so the band parents in the pga's and having Book Fairs and some of the schools happened change change what happens and how you relate campus connections. And yeah, it's amazing.

07:09 Has been super supportive of me and of the store with that was writing you started to work with and then I continue to work with and it's connected but also nationally to a lot of authors that now have a connection to us and strengthen them what we can provide our community here and then you know

07:42 Yeah, you be talking about working with the community. The library is another big Ally for bookstores and we get a lot of customers and other people saying, oh, you must be happy with libraries closed because of covid-19 and that is

07:59 Total opposite total opposite of how I we actually feel because the library is such a valued institution in this town and we are allies and getting people reading books. The library has always been important. That was my background. My mother was a school librarian. I trained to be a school librarian in for two years. That's what I did and then move to another community and entered the world of college book selling and I never went back to library except that I knew they were important in Missoula and they have set up their own separate.

08:44 Reading areas because they they were comfortable traveling and other communities and knowing that libraries had community centers that they could meet in and it was pretty amazing that you can on the friends of the library board for a long time. When did you join that, you know, and I've worked with four different directors of the public library in there been many sight exciting projects one that's happening right now. There is a new 36 million-dollar wonderful for level Library that's opening that you can do lots of do you also work with started the Montana book award?

09:40 Montana authors and it was through the Library community that we establish the rules and regulations and then the winner of the award received a piece by Hannah Montana on author artist. And that's a wonderful tradition. That's now 16 years old and you've picked up a new forthwith and I had a wonderful bear grass. I mean if you had called I love you story though. If somebody that we know and have worked with that fact and fiction that was at their grass. I don't know.

10:19 So we have a good friend of mine Crystal train who works in the store?

10:29 True fact and fiction he was working up at the big rush writing Retreat and he was able to connect with the publisher and now has a contract to publish a book through a major publisher and its

10:47 How a lot of this given take through the bookstore in the writing community in the reading community and it comes together to create a whole organism.

11:00 We're all connected wrong. The same thing on different levels that become friends in that way. And I think that's

11:09 What happens and because of book awards? We have a Book Festival. We have many things that happen and and public publishes. Love coming here. It's no hardship to have to come to Montana in the summer and be part of their dress writing Retreat or and some of them I meant anyway, they were here. They were on vacation. You know came around and visit and I met all my sales rep families because they were all coming here to travel and do things. So we all became really good friends and still remain friends. Even a lot of us now a retired there still a couple that are hanging on but that was a great thing that happened and then others went on and beat have become presidents of smaller presses different things. I mean, that's that's a big part of the community and friendships. Continue Shore.

12:09 So in our community and everywhere right now something that's been on my mind a lot because as a person running a business.

12:22 I need to respond both to the covid-19 virus and the black lives matter movement. And there's been a lot of controversy about non-response is particularly to the black lives matter movement and responses within your handling and bundle those two things together because they're here they are.

12:54 Their happening at the same time, but they're completely separate but they're also the same amorphous idea but something, you know, I put out a very strong stance.

13:10 On how are bookstore feelings about the black lives movement the black lives matter movement and how it in support of it and how we say words and books are important learning devices for people particularly people in towns like our own where

13:30 Where we have a very very small percentage of a diverse Community believe Montana itself 3% black if that if you could point three exceptional

13:49 We do have protesters all over this state saying things talking about things and very early on when things started. I felt the need I put out a very long letter about my feelings. I'm closing the store to insert customers with covid-19.

14:06 And then when the Black lives matter movement thinking and George Floyd came about and kind of

14:17 I felt the need to also make it another bank statement. There are other book stores that have kind of gone back and forth in a statement is I know you haven't gone through a pandemic. I know you were basically after a lot of the World by protests like starting opening a start absolute worldwide protest of the 60s and 70s, but I also know that there are some instances of big political things that have happened and I wonder how you know in these earlier days.

14:56 How you decided what to take a stand on and what we vocal about and how you decided to navigate these social issues as a business and then as a bookstore.

15:08 In general just being a bookstore has a little bit of a separate idea than just being a business question in and as you were talking I took a picture on my way here today A business and it starts out it was in this house and then house is crossed office and it says business we believe black lives matter women's rights are human rights. No human is illegal science is Real Love Is Love kindness is everything and I think that that says it all and people should be proud to have that kind of a sign with in their store. We I think booksellers in particular usually have the cause signs mothers against guns and those sorts of early on I learned not to have political signs.

16:05 Because sometimes people were divided about things.

16:16 Sometimes wouldn't always has had a wonderful history of I shouldn't say wonderful in a coming together when bad things happen and abortions are on a woman's clinic was burned down. Some gay rights issues were some house was set on fire. So you come together and fire as your communities coming together and it's important to be seen there. There was a strange one. I put the sign for nurses because his sister was a nurse and for some reason that was a divisive thing in the school and people were so upset. I think the nurses were trying to they didn't want to have a union but they were trying to get some things put together and that sound surprised me and I always thought you know,

17:12 As first amendment strong First Amendment person and believe you tried to have all views people would be surprised because they find a conservative Viewpoint as you have what people are looking for and nobody should be surprised when they walked in and saw what books were on the Shelf to know which direction I like being like, can you speak more to the selection of books that you do have where you are and like what how your values are emulated in what is actually there?

18:04 Would you and Barbara tank into theaters?

18:19 Sure, I think when you start out you try and have a wide wide you with the title Sunday is all-encompassing and then obviously your customers are going to tell you directions to go. So we had a lot of political views a lot of books by.

18:43 Gay and lesbian authors would feature displays a lot of things supporting Planned Parenthood on the lot of children's books explaining some of the social issues cuz that was an important part of who you are and what was going on there. That's why you also need to answer to x change the number to variety the diversity. That was a big thing that happened diversity and Publishing. Please give us more. Please give us more and it's finally out there which makes your decisions because you're such a variety

19:23 On my end with that I'll admit I try less.

19:30 Two

19:33 Include all sides because our community is a liberal community and

19:45 I think a lot of people do you Montana is a red state, but we have a Democratic governor or more purple than a lot of people and Missoula in particular so

20:05 Not only due to the customers but also my own personal beliefs. I I will order any book from regular Publishers for people I won't go to any obscure right-wing website, but I will order any book from any major party publisher for people without

20:28 External judgement. I try to keep on our shelves things that are consistent with my beliefs and with my with the ideals of our community that doesn't every book on. Our house is a progressive socialist liberal book alternative viewpoints are in

20:52 A

20:54 Calm and intelligent man. That's what any store has to do. And that's how you survive. You could I see your customers are going to buy those books quick. Sorry that I don't know I've ever shared with you. When I first open the store. There was a wholesaler that put together a list and I could go through and choose what books I wanted and fortunately I have been a Bookseller for 7 years in Missoula and for 14 years total and one of the books on the list that they were automatically going to send was the Anarchist Cookbook, which is the book about all the guns and everything that you can buy and stuff that then I thought well, that's an interesting and I chose not to bring it in originally wanted it and I could order it for him, but it wasn't something I wanted to have people in it cuz anything that's controversial like that. That is what everybody's eyes would have been immediately.

21:54 The question of why you have it and I just I chose not to do that one. But over the years you make those choices and you have the controversy when you make those choices and have the controversies you feel like as you got more confident.

22:16 In your store that you made more of those absolutely decisions. Absolutely because it was the right thing to do and and I'll towards the end of my career. There was a very controversial controversial book in our community. It was written by Jon krakauer and it was called the subtitle was

22:42 Rayven Justice safe and Justice in a college community

22:47 I was caught off-guard. I knew he was writing a book and I knew what the topic was, but I was totally caught off guard National Bookseller event when they revealed as a jacket and fortunately it was on the East Coast. So I had two hours time difference to call and say Here's what's coming and remember to call had an outlet on the campus store as well as downtown.

23:30 We had to carry it and I still have friends that don't talk to me about that book. People would say if you going to come is it going to come when you going to do I had a former customer come in and lecture me for a half an hour because nobody else was in the store. I just reading the off one side and down the other eye I wasn't so and

24:09 I told City Communication person and the communications director at the university the mayor and the president of the University of friends that was going to happen and have some sort of control with it. We took the event out of the bookstore. We didn't sell books at the event and that was all done on purpose, but we sold books and a percentage of those sales went to the Rape Crisis clinics on campus and in downtown and that the community really responded to that those communities the university community on the downtown. We were expecting some problems.

25:09 There were

25:12 Plainclothes policemen in the office because the mere thought that that was something he could go ahead and do we recorded it on Public Access TV?

25:27 I think it was close to five hundred people the stays still it up within 20 minutes of opening the room. So people had to go places and watch it on public TV. And I was the most controversial thing and I was glad glad it initially happened when I was amongst strong group of booksellers that look at me and say that's what had to happen. And I don't know if you'd just come into town who would have done anything.

26:17 Do it then there's controversies happen and you hope you are planning and on the right side of demonstrations black lives matters and there at the courthouse and it's again for all lives matter, but the black student union.

26:41 They're not many members of that but there is a hair but then right across the street from the most of the opposition with their big Confederate flags and guns. I am but they talk to each other. What's amazing? I don't know if it's going to last for a long time. They started so yeah.

27:02 Yeah.

27:05 And yeah Community is doing amazing things right now and we just seen.

27:13 Has heard your people searching out information, which I think is Nationwide people searching out information and trying to learn about what's going on and learn how they how they can be better and how they can be better allies and discuss the idea and I think that's when I said earlier that is like a bookstore is a business but a book stores also a separate thing. I think it's a separate thing because we deal and ideas.

27:41 We're not just selling a shirt.

27:44 For selling thoughts and ideas and knowledge bound into packages for people to take and analyze on their own and that's what it kind of sets us apart from say coffee shop or retail clothing store store or a knick-knack shop. You know, it's

28:04 People are coming in for information exactly a story. There's a aspect to it that is more and I want to discuss those ideas and back into the starts of bookselling and writing the philosophers that got together in squares and did things and it talks about early and early Bookseller in Florence. Italy on book selling was very different than the printing presses. So he wouldn't she would go out and find translations of works. So that the wealthy he could he get a team of manuscript writers. That's what he was doing is producing his own manuscripts, and he was called the book Cellar, but he was sharing

29:04 Aristotle and the contrast between their stinking send their teachings and that's still an important part of reading some of those classic sending and having those basic ideas and philosophies. Sometimes you don't realize you're doing it. Sometimes you have it in a class and you try to forget it. But you know, what is it that that phrase that there's only 10 basic storylines that are really out there in the world figure out where you're where you're writing in your story comes from

29:40 The share and discuss especially in times like this to discuss those things or to find out again. Montana's so blessed that as soon as I heard about coveting, they thought it had come from that I was like, oh my gosh David Quan has got to be everywhere and he will as he was in the New York Times he was doing people and talking about things and he's now writing another book about pandemics. So it is an important thing to discuss and know about him and see where it goes.

30:18 How are you feeling these days?

30:23 You said you talked about where you are with making those decisions that that was that was an interesting process for me when I stole the store and I kind of was goin back full circle. I mean I had people that were interested in one person. I finally told my realtor license if this person has another question and you can't answer it don't don't bother because I will not sell the store to this person. This person didn't have the right feel for you know, when I still wanted to continue living maybe an hour away and you can't have to be involved in your community to do it. And then the University Bookstore who I had left as a Bookseller ended up buying back and fiction back again to make sure they have visions of doing some other things.

31:18 And I at that point was asked to at least work for 2 years for 10.

31:26 We had to identify who's the person that's going to come in and then be the manager who who understands and does things that happened to the first person wasn't really good which is great and we had worked some at the campus location and then you came downtown and then we traveled a couple of times to go to just to show the importance of things with great.

32:03 Retired or myself which is exciting and I'm a little nervous that is

32:09 A little more nervous than I was when the whole process started only because of the situations in the world and you know,

32:18 What's Christmas going to look like this year, you know those kinds of things which I think every business in 2020 is asking that question of our can we plan the next year in the same way that we planned previous years. She got a large community of people helping you hear that process and they change or they don't change in the needs are all there and

32:46 I much rather be buying books and clothing and deciding what people are going to do a little bit nervous by a lake.

33:02 I feel like we have a great Community Support here and

33:07 I think it'll only grow with.

33:11 Individual proprietorship people viewed it. There was a little but it's a little confusing now as it was going on, but it's still an individual on an independent because all of my

33:28 Original Falcon section accounts are still what are the fact and fiction accounts independent and dependent group I guess of people but it's all still.

33:47 Local and yeah, I didn't mean to imply otherwise, but I think everybody was delighted that things continued on continuing in that way and Unite.

34:08 Early on you made that comment to me after I retired that you were surprised. I wasn't Downtown North

34:16 And yeah, I was like, yeah, I didn't know I had to let had to let the store go. It's just like my own children at some point their old me to go out and do things in the store and needs to swell.

34:35 Capstar customer Bay my customer bases older. I was working in some cases with the third generation of people which is exciting and fun. But, you know in order to grow you have to continue new ideas and go in the direction that that the town or Community is taking you in and then I slowly I can give up. I mean part of why it was a part of will hide it was

35:09 Easy transition in fact and fiction goes on

35:25 Did

35:29 Well, thanks anything else, but I answered it so we can stop here.

35:46 Well, I hope someday you get to come to Missoula.

35:50 When we do we do sell the storycorps collections of books really come out over the years.