It takes a village to support a bookstore

By Stephanie Purifoy

Sun contributor

When Tina Greene-Bevington looks at the bookstore she has built in only half a year, she sees all the potential it holds. She sees patrons lounging on picnic tables sipping cups of tea, or buried deeply in the stacks, searching for the perfect book. She hears a string quartet playing quietly in the background, and children’s footsteps running around the yard to snatch up bottles of bubbles which will be ready at all times. Her bookstore, Bay Books, will open May 24 in Suttons Bay.

Greene-Bevington left her culinary business in Grand Rapids behind after marrying her husband and moving north in 2013. At her new home, she made money hosting wine tasting parties and serving as a personal chef. All the while, she found herself keeping an eye out for an opportunity to start a new company.

This opportunity came in fall 2017 when she found 419 St.  Joseph’s Street, right in downtown Suttons Bay and a stone’s throw away from the water. Greene-Bevington said she loved how the sunlight illuminated the space and could see the space’s potential from the moment she stood in it. She could see a future gathering place for members of the community and a haven for learning and curiosity, which is what she wanted to create.

“I think every village should have a bookstore and it’s a niche that I could fill. I really wanted to give something to the community other than good food that pairs well with good wine,” she said.

In only months Greene-Bevington has nearly finished transforming the building into the community space she dreamed of. One major thing still missing (as of press time)—the books. Greene-Bevington personally tends to like historical fiction and said she has to make sure she doesn’t order exclusively her type of books. To solve this challenge, she’s been asking everyone about what type of books they’d like to see in the bookstore.

Greene-Bevington said the most challenging part of the entire operation was pulling the business together in time for the summer when thousands of tourists and part-time residents flock to the area.

“Being a chef helped a great deal [with time management] because as a chef, you are managing not only your time but the time of other people and if you can do it in a gracious manner then you’ve got a win-win scenario that’s great for everybody,” she said.

Despite all of the challenges, her favorite part of the entire experience has been the support she’s received from the community.

“I have been amazed and so pleasantly surprised that so many people are happy a bookstore is coming back to the community,” she said. “They’ll stop in while I’m working to just say hi or see how things are going or bring me lunch and it’s really just a marvelous feeling of support from the community.”

Once the bookstore opens for business, Bay Books will host many different kinds of events including Meet and Greets with authors, a drop-in book club occurring the second Tuesday of every month, and informational sessions about essential oils and regional wines with experts. Greene-Bevington hopes to get many different kinds of people to come and share knowledge on their craft with the community.

At its core, she sees bookstores as vital institutions which help cultivate an educated society.

“I think it’s important to arm yourself with knowledge and arm yourself with the ability to see differences and diversity and learn about the whole world. If you can’t do that kind of traveling yourself, you can learn about it in a book,” she said, “I think that causes us as human beings to grow not only as individuals but as a culture. Libraries and independent bookstores help people realize those kinds of personal journeys.”