Between The Covers

Booking It by Colleen Walsh Fong

Interview with Daiva Chesonis, Co-owner of Between the Covers Bookstore

I had the great pleasure of meeting Daiva Chesonis on a recent trip to Telluride, CO, site of my novel, currently in progress, with the working title of Clear Chat History. Daiva co-owns and operates a delightful bookstore called Between the Covers on Telluride’s main drag. The personal service I received, and interesting chat had with Daiva, prompted a longing in me for a return to a greater presence in the book world of the neighborhood bookstores that once populated every town and urban “hood.” Owners made personal connections with their clients, knew their taste in reading and recommended new material to them.  If you have any questions for Daiva, I invite you to leave them in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

CWF: It’s great to talk with you again, Daiva. I appreciate your taking the time to tell our readers and me a little bit about a day in the life of an independent bookstore owner.

DAIVA: My pleasure, I’ll take any and all chances to talk books, reading and indies.

CWF: How long have you owned Between the Covers? Did you purchase it intact, or did you start the business yourself?

DAIVA:  The co-owner, Bobbi Smith, and I have owned BTC since December 1, 2010. (It worked out to be my birthday, so I gave myself quite the present.) It was very much intact, having been in the same Main Street location serving Telluride locals and visitors since 1974. We’re very excited to be the 3rd set of owners in that long run. The family that owned it prior to us (and employed both Bobbi and myself for seven or so years) decided to move back east and the opportunity presented itself to basically buy our jobs. Buying an independent bookstore at the dead end of a high mountain road and in that economic climate sounded like a crazy idea but we felt we were tapped into a unique pulse that with proper nurturing would squeak through and flourish. In addition, we chose to trust the locals to continue their support, as well as all of the festivals that bring in a steady stream of visitors and speakers, many of whom happen to be authors from all kinds of genres. The off-seasons are definitely lean so we have to capitalize on every opportunity to shine during the ski and festival seasons.

CWF: How did you get into the book business?

DAIVA: I was a newish mom with a toddler who wanted to get out of pajamas and back to some kind of work. I had been a graphic designer in Telluride since 1992 but wanted something a little less stressful that would still fulfill my creative streak. I was sitting in the cozy café in the back of the store when I overheard the manager at the time mention the need for a part-time bookseller. I chimed in, scheduled an interview, and got the job. Before that, I had had no retail experience but I enjoy people of all walks; and matchmaking them to books for either themselves or as gifts came naturally. I part-timed it for about four years, left for a stint with a non-profit film festival, then came back as the book buyer, replacing a gal who was getting married and moving back home to Vermont. I guess you could say that the store has been there for me when I needed it and I just went with the flow to get to where I am today: overworked and in debt, but happy as a jaybird. With a BA in Russian Studies and an MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Resolution I could be just about anywhere in the world but Telluride has her claws in me for yet another while.

CWF: Are you a native of Telluride?

DAIVA: I am not, not many are. I’m a proud Baltimoron that worked her way west building chairlifts while taking an extended break between undergrad and grad school.

The site of Butch Cassidy's first Bank Caper

CWF: I had fun, while visiting Telluride, learning all about its history, especially the notorious aspect of it. Many of the town’s buildings have had diverse and fascinating purposes. For example, the first bank robbed by Butch Cassidy is right down the street. What do you know about the building that houses Between the Covers?

DAIVA: It’s officially known as the Pekkarine Building, named after a Finnish family that worked and lived in it during the mining boom. They operated a boot shop in the basement, a mercantile on the ground floor, and lived on the third where our offices are currently located. Apparently, many artifacts were donated to the museum when the store sold to the first BTC owner in 1974. I need to wander up the hill to our wonderful museum and check on that.

CWF: There is also a significant amount of ghost lore surrounding many of the buildings. Is any of it associated with yours?

DAIVA: Unfortunately, there are no signs of ghosts like in some of the other old buildings in Telluride; too bad, it could be a neat after-hours side business if it were haunted. I have had an encounter myself one very late night at the Sheridan Opera House in 1994 during our run of “Cabaret.” Chains rattling in the wings at 4:15 in the morning … I was by myself and I’ll never forget it.

CWF: You have a wonderful selection of books and materials on Telluride. Do you specialize in any particular genre of books?

DAIVA: We’re a general bookstore that runs the gamut but each section has its Telluride or regional southwestern flair. (Ed Abbey may not be prominent east of the Mississippi but he graces many sections at BTC.) Because Telluride is the “festival capital of the Rockies” we’ve ended up with collections of considerable depth in mountaineering, film arts, and mushrooms. Telluride’s a hiker’s paradise so guidebooks, maps, and blank journals make their way into many a backpack. Our 10’ x10’ kids section is always bustling due to the baby boom that erupted the year my daughter was born in 2001, as well as the amount of families that visit during school breaks for skiing or getting out of city heat.

CWF: What differentiates you from other stores?

DAIVA:  Hmmm, that’s a tough one, as I think indie book shops are expected to be funky, creaky, customer service-oriented, and a place to just be, all of which are true about BTC. We do get many comments about our cards selection. Physically, it’s a small part of the store but it packs a punch in the bottom line. Credit for that goes to our sidelines buyer Hilary, who with her husband bought the café part of the store when Bobbi and I took on the retail part. She has a great eye for the odd and the beautiful. Other than that, I guess it would be our longevity given its remote location, a population of barely 3,000 and the extra effort it takes to get to or live in Telluride. Or maybe it’s that we don’t have a store cat …

CWF: With all of the big bookstore chains Telluride seems like a great place to own an “indie” store, since there are NO chain stores or restaurants in the town. That being said, what are some of the struggles an indie owner faces because of the big chains?

DAIVA:  Bookselling is no easy business. It’s not just sitting around reading great books; it’s a constant internal game of getting the most for the least amount and then convincing someone to trust your staff’s bookseller instinct. In my experience, the relationships (and discount structure) we’ve cultivated over the years with publishers and distributors are a big part of making it all possible. Whether our reps are in a high-rise in New York City or in a home office in Denver, they’ve gotten to know us, our customers, our annual tourism cycles, our space limitations, and yes, our hippie taproot. Regarding chains, the closest big box store is 71 miles away, but these days, the BUY button is just a finger’s length away. It’s a daily task to gently remind and educate locals and visitors about buying local (whether physically in the store or through our website) in order to support a local tax base. We ourselves are not computer screens, we use our faces and voices to make connections that we hope will promote lasting support not just for us but local businesses everywhere.

CWF: What advantages do you have in being an indie, for you and for your clients?

DAIVA:  Unattached to a corporate headquarters, which can homogenize an experience by requiring push and placement, we have the freedom to put a completely unknown author’s book into a reader’s hands, look them in the eye and say “read this” simply because we feel it’s a good match. We get to dish out an exotic spice, they get an expanded view beyond online recommendations based on algorithms. The best challenge in a small town however is remembering locals’ or consistent ski visitors’ names. It’s that magical foot in the door that leads from conversation to wise recommendations that hopefully bring them back time and again.

On the business end, we’re our own small planet that is hopefully nimble enough to adapt to storms and droughts quickly and creatively. We learn how to do that at regional trade shows and national conferences where we network with indies from all over North America. There usually isn’t a problem that another indie hasn’t had and gleaning advice from hard lessons learned is pure gold. We’re a big family connected in more ways than the public knows.

CWF: Ebooks and their major distributors are taking an increasingly significant chunk out of the book marketplace. How have ereaders and ebooks affected you and Between the Covers?

DAIVA: As of today, real books are still walking out the door at a decent clip. For those who opt to read digitally however, our new website has put us in the eBook game. Thankfully, Google leveled the playing field for indies by employing a compatible platform that many brick-and-mortar bookstore websites use. By partnering with Google’s cloud platform, BTC and other indie bookstores can sell Google eBooks through our websites for all your non-Kindle devices including PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Because your bookshelf lives in the Google cloud, you can switch from one device to another without losing your page. And if you should lose your reader, your digital bookshelf is intact on Google’s servers. Loading up a device with titles while on a vacation? Choose an indie store near to where you live, or in your childhood hometown … or BTC. Anywhere you actually want your money to work its wonders like keeping parks open and EMTs paid. Again, it’s about educating the public about the choices they have when shopping.

CWF: The tectonic plates of the book publishing industry are still shifting. Where do you see paper books ending up when the ground has settled?

DAIVA: On beautifully crafted shelves designed by local artisans, shared and passed down to many generations of grandchildren. (I’m a Sagittarius, an eternal optimist.) Think about it, if we dig our heels in and survive “the future of the book” question, we’ll have what it is all the talk was about: books. If they’re considered nostalgic and retro, so be it. I think there will always be a part of humanity that will seek out the original. Our job is to let them know we’re here for them in a box canyon guarded by 14,000-foot peaks. We’ll shout it from the mountaintops!

CWF: Congratulations on your new website. Where can readers reach you?

DAIVA: www.between-the-covers.com (… or sitting on a chairlift with Bobbi or hiking in the desert with my kid.)

CWF: Thank you for taking the time to share your story with Eve readers, Daiva. Would you like to leave them with any parting thoughts?

DAIVA: Keep reading—for yourself, and to children. Your leisure time, which has so many forces competing for a minute of it here and a minute of it there, is YOURS. Choose to learn, to escape, or to fall asleep with a classic splayed downside upon your belly whenever you can. There are worse habits …