Page 4 - Small Shops of Sonoma County 2018

A Slow Info Revolution
By By Rachel Rowan Mutterperl, Twice Told Books
In the past couple of years, I have been frustrated with the social and
political consequences of our “Information Age.” The glut of content produced for fast consumption has allowed disinformation to clutter our minds. I believe the solution is a Slow Info Revolution, based in our libraries and small independent bookstores.
In the 21st century, paper books provide escape from the onslaught of constant exposure to media that revolves around 140 character, 30 second content. Cracking the spine of a book is a commitment to lose oneself for hours in a single story, to spend quality time immersed in a stranger’s perspective, whether for knowledge or pleasure. The end result is always a deeper understanding of the topic than can be gained from any other form of media. I am so proud to be helping constructive ideas take root and grow at Guerneville’s bookstore, Twice Told Books.
Throughout my childhood, the best days were spent going to my hometown bookstores and being allowed to buy my very own copies of books I could reread endlessly, rather than return to the library. When I was ready to get my first job, the obvious first stop was my favorite independent bookstore. But this was the 90s, during the rise of the big-box stores. The owner didn’t have the budget for new staff and the shelves were sparse in comparison to my previous visits. He was out of business within a year as the new international chain store with its warehouse-high ceilings, café, and music section flourished.
Be Part of the Christmans Bird Count
The past six months have been a glorious blur of keeping business going while slowly implementing our now shared vision for Twice Told Books.
Of course, the best part has been meeting so many members of our book
tribe, whether locals who are discovering that we can have their book for a competitive price in just a few days or visitors who make a point of supporting the independent bookstores wherever they travel. Seamus and I look forward to years of serving our community by providing a conduit to knowledge, imagination, and inspiration.
The Santa Rosa CBC is run by the Redwood Region Ornithology Society (rros.org) on December 16. The Sonoma County CBC is on December 28 and the West County CBC is run by the Madrone Audubon Society (madroneaudubon. org) on December 30. Being a volunteer not only helps count birds, especially important after our fires, but is also an opportunity to learn. Visit www.natureali.org/cbcs.htm for bird counts all December and into early January.
Books hold infinite possibilities. Come visit us at Twice Told Books to check out our ever-changing selection of curated titles for all ages and interests and join the Slow-Info Revolution.
I did find my way into a bookselling career in spite of that early setback. Wherever I moved, I worked at whatever store was hiring- whether corporate or independent. I moved into management positions and learned everything I could about the publishing industry and store operations. I filed away this intel, developing a vision of my future as a small bookstore owner.
The key elements of my dream store were always: titles in line with the neighborhood’s culture, promoting local authors, and working with staff that cared about serving the community as much as they loved reading. My goal would be to reasonably compete with the convenience of the online retailers in a much friendlier, civic-minded environment than those big-box stores.
Twenty-five years after shuttering my favorite hometown bookstore, that competing international corporate bookseller is long gone itself, closed by a certain Online Retailer Who Shall Not Be Named... while sales at independent bookstores have been creeping back up for more than a decade, as like-minded readers recognize the importance of local bookstores as important community centers.
In early 2018, Guerneville’s bookstore came up for sale as I was considering my options for getting back into the bookselling business. This was the opportunity I had known would eventually arise: the right location, at the right time, to fulfill my intention to serve my community- both local and global, by using my years of experience in this complicated industry. My husband Seamus Dunn was eager to join me...To learn the elation of matching customers with the perfect title, to improve someone’s life with every book sold, to take on the fantastical life of the bibliophile bookstore owner.
Seamus and I have lived in Sonoma County for more than a decade, largely because the strong locally-owned business culture reflects our values, particularly in small towns like Guerneville, where the big-box stores are unlikely to ever invade. We recognize it as the perfect place to seed this Slow Info Revolution.
4 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 12/18 SS
Sells mostly used books, some new fiction. Will buy books.
Magnolia Warbler in Bodega Bay - Ron Storey
Twice Told Books – located next to Coffee Bazaar 14045 Armstrong Woods Rd., Guerneville 707-869-1479 www.twicetoldbooks.com
Open 9-5 Every Day (Winter Hours)