Apple Blossom Books Brightens Oshkosh

Curious George story time with banana snacks for everyone.

Apple Blossom Books in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has only been open since August 2005, but it has already hosted a legion of kids' reading programs, author signings and readings, and collaborative community events. Oshkoshians have shown their appreciation. "One of the best surprises I've had was how supportive and enthusiastic the community is," said owner Candy Pearson. "Some are almost like apostles, telling their friends and family about us and bringing people in."

Pearson opened the 1,200-square-foot general bookstore store in downtown Oshkosh, which has been focused on rejuvenating its business district. In fact, Pearson not only won over residents by bringing a much-needed family bookstore to the downtown area, but she was also eligible for grants and better loan rates. "It really helped on opening costs," she said.

Pearson, who worked at Thompson West Publishing for nine years and holds an MBA, said that her business and publishing background was helpful, but before she opened the store, she attended the Paz & Associates booksellers school, which helped her focus on store layout. Apple Blossom, she said, is long rather than wide, so one way she compensates for this is by creating a tall display that can be seen throughout the store -- a tree house that stands over a rug pond full of lily pads and toy frogs.

The store also has two entrances, one from the parking lot and one from the street, so Pearson built Book Sense displays at both ends. She splits the categories between the two and posts the fliers at both.

To get her children's events up and running, she worked with Holly Selwitschka, a librarian, who helped develop and facilitate some of the very popular programs, including "Early Bloomers," which introduces preschoolers to letters and language. For the first 10-session series this past summer, Pearson charged $10, and each child received a workbook, individualized lessons, and two beginning reading books. At the series' end, participants held a "reading" for family members.

Another success was the "Magic Tree House Club." Topics covered during the eight-week series included dinosaurs and medieval knights, along with other themes, from Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca's eponymous series (Random House Books for Young Readers). Meetings were held in a tent set up in the store. The $20 fee included copies of the books and research guides. For the dinosaur segment, the bookstore set up a large sandbox outside the store where children dug for fossils. When knights were the topic, a local medieval reenactment group arrived with chain mail and other knightly accoutrements. "Kids got to try on different pieces of armor," said Pearson. "They learned a lot. And parents raved about how interactive the program was." For each session attended, children were awarded points towards a Book Sense gift card, with the maximum value set at $10.

An event featuring Charles Shields, author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee (Holt).

Apple Blossom also has a busy author events calendar. Pearson has partnered with Oshkosh Friends of the Library and with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Women's Center for off-site events featuring Mitch Albom (For One More Day, Hyperion) and Elizabeth Berg (The Handmaid and the Carpenter, Random House), respectively.

After learning that it was difficult for some area residents to make the trip to Oshkosh, particularly during the winter, Pearson began a delivery program to several of the surrounding towns, where she drops off books at a central location. One drop-off point is at a nursing home about 20 minutes away, where Apple Blossom maintains a small display. "The people there really appreciate it," said Pearson.

"The only way to get a small independent up and running is by being really involved in the community," explained Pearson. "To try to engage people to be proactive customers." Her strategy has created more than just goodwill: Pearson reported that this January's sales topped last year's by 65 percent. "I really didn't expect that kind of growth," she said. "I don't know if it will continue or not, or if we just got lucky, but I'm really excited about how things have been going so far." --Karen Schechner