Chapter One Book Store awarded, celebrating 50 years

by John Dowd

It is often said that little locally owned bookstores are a waning business. However, the folks that own Chapter One Book Store, in Hamilton, may take exception to this, as they were recently awarded for being an “outstanding model business,” according to the Hamilton Downtown Association. They will also be celebrating 50 years of operation. 

Chapter One has three co-owners, and according to one of them, Mara Lynn Luther, that is one of the many ways they have been so successful. Joined by the other owners, Katrina Mendrey and Marisa Neyenhuis, Luther believes having three people allows them to do it all. “We couldn’t do it without each other,” said Luther. The spread of responsibility allows them to stay active in the community and to balance work life with family life, according to Luther. “It just takes so much to run a bookstore,” especially these days, said Luther. However, she also believes that standard may be changing.

Chapter One has been so successful that this year, the Hamilton Downtown Association presented them the Main Street Model Business Award. “To be recognized on the business side of things was particularly special,” said Luther. “Many consider bookstores a labor of love,” she said, but in their case the labor has created a successful business model as well. 

In this endeavor, they also try to work with other local businesses, like The Paper Clip, trying not to sell the same things as they do. This has allowed Chapter One to specialize and not to take away from other establishments. “It really feels like we are all rooting for each other,” said Luther.

The owners bought the building last year, which has allowed them to get ahead of the curve and to add improvements. These improvements include helping to cater to the elderly and the disabled, allowing better access to the building. They have added handrails, better flooring and have more planned.

Chapter One will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. There is a mural going up on the west wall and along the alley wall. This will happen the first week of July. Then, on July 12, they will host a party, open to the community, to celebrate all the support they have received over the years. They plan on inviting many of whom they call “one-ders,” or all those who have worked at Chapter One in the past. According to Luther, “Not every business makes it to 50, especially book stores. It took a lot of people to get us to 50 years and we want to honor that and celebrate that.”

Luther has been with the studio since 2010 and she expressed how she has always been an avid reader and has loved bookstores. She told the story of how, when she was 16, she ran out of gas and had to call for help because she had spent all her money on books. Luther loves the act of sitting down, reading, and everything about the experience. But, for her, it is the stories that draw her in most. She has a passion for “hearing a story in somebody else’s voice and seeing someone else’s perspective.” 

Though she did not go to school with the purpose of working in bookstores, and never dreamed that could be a job, she found a love for it and an opening when she moved to the area. Luther was a part time bookseller 14 years ago, and said for a time, the job started getting her down. It became more of a “job instead of a joy.” She reasoned this was because she felt she had to read all kinds of things, even those she did not enjoy, just because she had heard, “a good self respecting book seller would have read…” such and such book. Now, she just reads what she loves, and has found that passion for books and bookselling all over again. She also believes it has helped her become a better bookseller, and passes that advice on to her customers. She is not alone, and there is even a special shelf reserved for the favorites of the Chapter One staff, which customers can purchase from. 

“Just have fun, because you’re going to build a lifelong love of reading,” and, “Today, there is something for everybody! It really can meet people where they are,” said Luther.

Chapter One, itself, has been around since 1974, and has been in three locations within that time. They finally ended up in their current location in the 80s. When asked how they stay open, especially in today’s climate of online bookstores and big-name stores, Luther said there are a lot of reasons. “Of course, Christmas and holidays keep us open,” said Luther, but she believes there is more to it.

Chief of those reasons was that a bookstore is “really about location.” Chapter One is conveniently located in a community that likes to read a lot, and their customer base spreads out as far as Salmon, Idaho. According to Luther, for those folks, the Chapter One store is one of the closest things those customers have. 

Luther also attributed their success to the pandemic. “Post-Covid, we lost businesses that people cared about, so now people are more vigilant.” On top of that, Chapter One tries to spend a lot of time giving back to the community. A community, said Luther, that has come out of the woodwork to help them over the years. 

Finally, Luther attributed a shift of paradigm, towards small book stores. “There seems to be a national trend towards maintaining independently owned brick and mortar businesses, especially bookstores,” said Luther. She thinks this is because little local stores are better at catering to the needs of the local population. To her, big stores just cannot cater as well to the locals. 

Chapter One provides a lot of ability to customers to get the books they want, the way they want them. Customers can order books online, buy them in store, request in-store pickup, and even have the books shipped to their home. Luther said they are affiliated with several online companies that allow them easy and quick access to the things customers request. This includes audio books.

“We offer any kind of reading experience,” said Luther. They also have a popular used books section that offers credit for used books to keep the space filled with options. “It’s a great way to keep people supplied with interesting books,” said Luther.

Chapter One has four book clubs, author events, and participates heavily in community events. They try to keep busy, and spend a lot of time serving their customers. Along the way, and along with all their own changes, they have seen a lot of change in the community. Luther spoke on how she has heard concern in the community about these changes.

“A lot of people are seeing a lot of change in the community, and it can feel scary and makes us feel defensive about the way things have been,” said Luther. “I feel the same way sometimes. But, the fact that our community can change and grow, that is the way we can stay around. I think about the bookstore that way as well.”

Chapter One Book Store is located at 252 W. Main St. in Hamilton; phone (406) 363-5220. More information about the bookstore and the things they do can be found on the website, chapter1bookstore.com.