A new bookstore in downtown Lewiston offers specialty selections and opinions aplenty.
LEWISTON – Julie Warner is selling new and used books, but that’s not all.
A lifelong avid reader and former manager of Walden Books, Warner is offering something no one else has: her extensive knowledge of special genres and irrepressible joy at sharing it.
“Anyone can go into any bookstore and buy a book,” said Warner, as she gestured toward the neat shelves displaying her inventory. “What I can offer are suggestions of books in those genres and new authors to try.”
Warner specializes in fiction, romance and mystery books. Hundreds of them fill shelves in her neat, little store. Now that The Page Turner And Pages Already Turned is open, she can return to her regular reading rate of three to four books a week.
It’s a pace that’s allowed her to read books by most authors in the genres she loves. And she remembers them so that when a customer comes in and wants a historical romance, for instance, she can make suggestions in rapid fire succession.
“It’s a challenge to me, and such a satisfying experience to send a customer out with a new author they haven’t read and they come back and ask for another,” said Warner. “It’s very satisfying … it makes me think I’ve done my job.”
Warner opened The Page Turner in late January on Lisbon Street next to the former Marois restaurant. A native of the other L.A., Warner had spent many years managing book stores for other people. In fact while living in Tennessee, she received an award in 2001 from Walden Books for managing one of the top 18 stores in a national chain of 800.
Retirement venture
She summered in Maine for years and decided she’d retire here and open a store of her own. A real estate agent searched the state for suitable commercial properties, “and Lewiston kept coming up.”
She bought the building in November and then spent the next few months moving from Tennessee and getting her building (a former roofing company) in shape. She did all the painting herself and built the shelves. Warner hopes to expand her inventory to horror and science fiction, but first has to finish the shelves in the rooms where they’ll be housed.
“I needed to take a little break, but hopefully, they’ll be ready by summer,” she said.
New and used books
Warner is selling new books at the cover price, and used books anywhere from $7 for hardcovers to $1 for paperbacks. She can order new books and she also accepts trades.
Her willingness to trade is an example of her belief in customer service. She said one of the things she’s learned from her previous book store experiences is not to upset a customer. If someone comes in with a box of books to trade, they don’t want to take them home again.
“I’ll trade it for 25 cents and then sell it for 25 cents, just to help them out,” she said.
Her collection of used books includes many series, including those by Andrew Greeley, Jean Plaidy and Dana Fuller Ross.
“I like everything,” she said, “from sappy romances to political thrillers to plain-old whodunnits.”
She said lots of people have wandered in to check out her store and she’s enjoyed meeting them all. She keeps a pot of coffee brewed for customers (it’s free) and updates a white board with trivia questions to encourage conversation (this week’s question: Who is Eva Dallas?)
It’s all part of making people feel welcome, and hopefully, interested in buying a book.
“I want to get to know what customers like,” said Warner. “I want this to be a place where people will keep coming back.”
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