Questions For: Nan Fowler 

NEW TIMES What has most significantly impacted your business in the last three decades?

FOWLER The economy is always a big factor for any business that recycles, because we trade. So when the economy goes down, we are busier because people are more conscious of their finances. I think for the business, perseverance means quite a lot. I strive on doing one thing, and doing it well. I just sell books.

NEW TIMES What contemporary ideas do you plan on incorporating into the workplace?

FOWLER We’re really trying to meet the needs of the community. [My granddaughter] Kassi is an artist, so she has been doing some mural work, and we’re trying to enhance to building to reach young readers.

NEW TIMES What will your granddaughter Kassi Turner’s responsibility be at the store?

FOWLER Kassi is still in high school, but every young person starts selling books and learning the business. Like any other job, you have to learn the basics before you can run a business, so I’ve always had young people here to learn the aspects of not only working, but making life choices and business choices. She’s here to promote the store to her peers and to make sure that we have books here that the younger audiences are reading.

NEW TIMES What genres of books do you generally carry?

FOWLER We carry everything, but we really try to liven it up metaphysics, Buddhism, history, gardening, cookbooks, plays, we have a big classics section. I don’t do textbooks, though.

NEW TIMES What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

FOWLER I love all kinds of books. You just have to have a book. My book is a good fiction serial killer book. I like Jeffery Beaver [author of The Bone Collector] a lot.

NEW TIMES Where do you enjoy reading the most?

FOWLER Relaxing at home on my chair, looking over the hillside.

NEW TIMES Who is your favorite author and why?

FOWLER Jonathan Kellerman, he would be another good one. He is a child psychologist that writes a lot of fictional serial killer books. We readers get totally immersed in the characters, and I feel I personally know the character Alex in his book, well enough to recognize him walking down the street.

NEW TIMES Who wins, and why, in the epic clash that many had hoped for between Edward Cullen and Jacob Black?

FOWLER I think Edward, he would win.

NEW TIMES Do you currently have any special offers or discounts?

FOWLER Everything is always half priced in a used-book store anyway.