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The Story Peddler owner Lauri Matuska in Bellville and indie bookstore owners from Bastrop and Austin shared insight on crafting community spaces with their bookstores.
Matuska founded The Story Peddler in 2023 right next door to The Perk coffee shop. Matuska intended to retire as a high school English teacher and pursue being a self-published author, but a false rumor about The Perk closing put her in contact with the owners of the building. The owners shared her idea that a bookstore would fit well in the space, and Matuska set to work. Matuska said The Story Peddler has become a community space largely due to the open wall between the bookstore and The Perk.
“[The open wall] was really foundational to me thinking that now was a good time for a bookstore in Bellville because it does help facilitate that third space,” Matuska said. “…I encourage people to linger…I want it to be a place where people can come just to get that bookstore- slash-library vibe.”
A third space is a space for community members to gather and engage in various activities outside of the home or workspace. Matuska said her first experience with wanting a third space occurred when her son had a doctor’s appointment and did not have enough time to go home after school. She said she always thought Bellville needed more spaces to help others fill downtime. Matuska also said she enjoyed the sentimental value of bookstores and libraries.
“The first time I walked into a bookstore/coffee space I felt like I was home. I love the atmosphere and ambiance,” Matuska said. “It’s really kind of neat to provide, even on a little scale, a little bit of that feeling of that third space that feels like home.”
The Story Peddler has developed beyond a simple bookstore function. Matuska recalled hosting locals without power in the store during a bad storm. Readers who do not engage with social media traveled to a recent author event after hearing about it in a local newspaper. The store also partners with San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site in hosting their book tables and with Faith Academy of Bellville to supply the school’s annual book fair.
“My community partnerships are any opportunity I come across that meets a need that my tools can fill,” Matuska said. “…They are crucial because of the struggle for independent bookstores to stay open. It’s almost impossible to stay viable if all you do is sell books.”
Taylor Bruce, the owner of First Light Books in Austin, emphasized the importance of bookstores, especially those in rural areas, being multi-functional during a panel with other independent bookstore owners, Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. Bruce said that people want third places more than ever before in an age of digital technology. Independent bookstores have to compete with large, easily accessible distributors like Amazon, so a multi-use space offers more to customers, according to Bruce.
“We live in a digital world where you can order everything online, and our premise was people don’t want their entire life to be that,” Bruce said. “…Books are this common ground that is like an amazing crossroads of culture of different subjects, ideas and interests.”
In curating The Story Peddler’s book selection, Matuska started with primarily fiction books but pulled small selections from various other genres. As the bookstore grew and Matuska received feedback from customers, she added cookbooks and expanded the fantasy section. Since its opening, The Story Peddler has also given a platform to local authors of mixed genres to connect with current and new readers. The Story Peddler hosts monthly author events, organized by Programs Manager Kris Graham, where authors visit with readers about a recent or upcoming novel release, sign copies and answer questions.
“It’s sort of a community meeting hub. To me, that’s a win-win-win. A win for the author, a win for the bookstore and a win for the public,” Graham said. “… “It’s a win for my author because it puts eyes on my author and it spurs book sales for that person. It puts eyeballs on our bookstore which gets people into the store… And it is a win for our community because it is a place for people to come in and peruse the books and spend some time in there,” Graham said.”
Eric Brooks, the owner of Black Pearl Books in Austin, discussed bookstores as a platform for community voices in the same panel. He said that bookstores should offer community experiences and create a welcoming energy that brings people of different backgrounds together.
“I think that’s critically important, regardless of if you’re in a major urban area or a rural area, to know that you can find your people and [that] you have the ability to connect and commute in that fashion,” Brooks said.
In addition to catering to readers, The Story Peddler has started crafting a space for writers. The bookstore hosted five authors in a panel about publishing in writing in October. The Story Peddler recently launched the Low Prairie Writers Circle in partnership with The Ferns nature retreat. Matuska discussed the new writers’ group in a previous interview.
“We plan to go forward in that direction and have a place where writers in the county can get to know other writers and come together, not only for community, but also it’s a great way to learn and to find mentors,” Matuska said.
The Texas Tribune Festival is a large, annual conference about media, government and business hosted by the digital news organization in Austin. To review conversations with national leaders and decision makers from the event that ran Nov. 13-15, visit www.texastribune.org.
