Carol Bergman

    

There's no money in poetry but there's no poetry in money either.

                 

 - Robert Graves      

           

 

It was my birthday and I wanted to treat myself to a hard-back book, preferably American history as it is my intention to read as much American history as possible until July 4, 2026 to catch up on the scholarly tomes that have been published since I minored in American History in college. It was an unseasonably warm day so I had a plan to sit outside  at a local café and read assuming, of course, that I would find a book I wanted to read. I didn't have a list, I had an intention, a desire. I headed for Barner Books on Church St. in New Paltz, NY where I am never disappointed. New Paltz, a college town, is blessed with an outstanding library and three bookstores: Inquiring Minds, Literally Books  and Barner Books. Sales are brisk during the warmer months at all stores, but Katherine Spelling, the relatively new proprietor of Barner Books, has noticed that when gas prices go up, fewer customers visit, no matter the season these days. "People are struggling and there is less discretionary money," she hypothesizes. Yet I have visited this bookstore in all seasons—personal, political, and financial—to  browse, to handle books and flip their enticing pages, to remind myself that once I had my cataracts removed I could abandon a Kindle reader some of the time, and hold books with paper pages and print in my newly clarified sights. And so the time had come, cataract surgery complete, I was prepared to purchase a book as a birthday present to myself.

 

"I took over the store before Covid hit," Katherine told me. "Even though we also have an online business, it became a challenge to make the rent. I accept that this is prime real estate, but it was hard." I've heard that lament from other business owners in town, especially young ones. I don't have a solution, but I'll just note here my dismay. Is an exorbitant rent necessary? Or exploitative?

 

Barner Books has been in New Paltz for more than 30 years; it was originally owned by James Barner who sold it to David Friedman. Katherine is continuing their legacy; the museum-like aesthetic of the store has not changed. The artifacts—much loved books—are accessible and touchable. There are about 12,000 volumes; 1,000 are vintage collectibles. More are listed in Barner's online catalog. I was in luck the day I went in and found two Stacy Schiff hardback biographies: The Great Improvisation; Franklin, France, and the Birth of America and The Revolutionary Samuel Adams, both used but in pristine condition, at $12 each, a bargain. I will probably donate them to the library for the annual book fair when I am done for someone else's edification and pleasure. Thus do we pass on knowledge.

 

Originally from the UK, Spelling, 54, went to grad school in San Francisco to study linguistics and poetry, where she worked in bookstores for the last 29 years. She has had one book of poetry published but has no time to write these days. "And I always knew that it was not possible for me to be a professional poet," she says. Still, her literary sensibility is evident. A person who can translate Homer, however slowly, is a lifelong student, as are most of her customers. Though they may not be able to afford a new hardback, the books at Barner, even the collectible books, are affordable. 

 

Katherine's well-read manager, Abby Shor, majored in Women's Studies at SUNY New Paltz, left the area, and came back.  She's at the front desk 5 days a week 10-6. "Katherine inherited me with the store," Abby says. "Because  I worked for the previous owner I feel like I'm part of the fixtures and fittings by now." The two collaborated on improving the structure of the collection to improve its "flow," as Abby describes it, one subject area leading to another in a store that is much bigger than it seems at first. As soon as someone enters, Abby, or John on the weekends, ask if they can answer any questions, or if someone is looking for a particular book, they'll know where to find it. "Sometimes people are so happy to find a book they read and loved when they were younger and there it is on our shelf," Abby says.

 

It is no surprise that both Katherine and Abby are voracious readers who nurture the curiosity and interests of everyone who enters the store. "This is not a transactional environment," Katherine says thoughtfully, using a charged word that is in the news too often these days.  "People linger here. They browse. This is a safe and cozy space."