Butterfly Books Changes Hands But Not Philosophy

Nine years ago, Karen Gaston, then co-owner of Butterfly Books in De Pere, Wisconsin, asked her friend Barbara Wilson to help out at her children's bookstore for a few hours during the holiday season. Wilson enjoyed it so much she stayed on as a part-time staff member, and, last January, she bought the place. "This is the job I've always wanted," said Wilson. "I've always been interested in children's literature."

It was perfect timing because Gaston and her husband, Bud, wanted to retire. Wilson didn't think to buy the bookstore initially, but she knew that the Gastons "put too much effort into creating a literacy center for teaching professionals to sell to just anyone," she said. She didn't want to see Butterfly Books close, so she and her husband, Greg, offered to buy it, and the Gastons were thrilled. "They knew I shared their philosophy," she added.

So Wilson took over the 2,000-square-foot, brick storefront in the renovated downtown area of De Pere, a city of 20,000 people. When the Gastons first moved in 12 years ago, the business development was nearly empty, but now "the block is filled with high-end retail stores," said Wilson.

Wilson has been steeped in children's literature for the past decade. During her tenure as a part-timer at Butterfly Books, she also worked as a librarian: first, in the young-adult section at the public library and later as a school librarian so she would be on the same schedule as her kids. Working at both the library and the bookstore was ideal. "I could try out new books on kids at the library, and the good ones I could sell at the bookstore," Wilson told BTW.

Butterfly Books has largely stayed the same under its new owner, but Wilson made a few minor changes. She opened up some of the interior space by taking out a set of carpeted bleachers in a play corner, and she painted quotes from nursery rhymes and poems on the walls. Wilson's favorite is from a poem by Strickland Gillilan: "Richer than I you can never be/ I had a Mother who read to me."

Wilson said that she plans to make a few other changes, but has been non-stop busy since she bought the bookstore in January. Up until June 5, she was still working full-time as a school librarian and her preparations for Potter madness left little downtime. But she was able to launch a pet project, which involved a cooperative effort of the local "grown-ups" bookstore, Betts, and the public library to participate in a community-read of Louis Sachar's Holes. Eight book discussions are scheduled to take place over the summer at various sites around De Pere.

"I can't imagine anything more important in a young child's life than having someone read to them," said Wilson, articulating the motivation for her longtime commitment to children's literature. "People are supportive of us and our mission -- and we thank them daily for supporting us as an independent bookstore. I bought the bookstore because I couldn't imagine not having these wonderful books around to share with others -- there just isn't anywhere I would rather be during the day than talking about books with our customers." --Karen Schechner