Book King bought
City landmark finds new owner, new home
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Elizabeth Dulli (left) has bought the Book King from Steve Eddy and will move the Merchants Row business around the corner to Center Street in the Tuttle Building. At right is longtime Book King employee Joanne Johnson. The store’s last day in its present location was Saturday but customers can drop in to pick up special orders ALBERT J. MARRO / RUTLAND HERALD |
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Published: January 12, 2009
By BRUCE EDWARDS
Herald Staff
For Steve Eddy, it was time to move on.
After 38 years of operating a bookstore in the downtown, Eddy is selling Book King to Elizabeth Dulli, a former employee.
Dulli will relocate the store from Merchants Row to the Tuttle building around the corner to 11 Center St in the Tuttle building.
“It’s just time to move on,” Eddy said. “I’ve been doing it for 38 years and I think I’d like to do some other things.”
A Rutland native, Eddy was a publisher’s representative before opening Book King in 1971 at 64 Merchants Row. Eight years later, he moved across the street to the newly renovated Opera House. From there, Eddy moved Book King down the street to its present location at 94 Merchants Row.
At the time he opened his bookstore in 1971, the Hartford bookstore on Center Street was the only bookstore in town. It was a traditional bookstore, according to
Eddy, selling only hardcover books at a time when paperbacks were starting to come into their own. When Eddy opened Book King, his focus was on the paperback market.
A former part-time Book King employee, Dulli will reopen the bookstore on Feb. 9 in the renovated Tuttle building around the store.
Book King’s last day in its present location was Saturday but customers can drop in to pick up special orders.
Owned by the Rutland Community Land Trust, the ground floor of the Tuttle building was home to Center Street Artisans. The store, with its cathedral-style display windows, closed at the end of June.
“I’ve been wanting to have a bookstore,” said Dulli, a rehabilitation nurse at Rutland Regional Medical Center. “It’s sort of been one of my dreams.”
The new Book King will have a café (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and pastries) and wireless Internet. A small space will be set aside for small performances and book readings. Customers will be able to sit and relax in the mezzanine.
The 2,900-square-foot bookstore will have a cozy feel with deep cranberry carpeting accented by wood laminate.
Another feature will be an expanded Christian book section. Dulli may also add a music section in the future.
Book King has been a downtown anchor for years and Dulli said she intends to continue the tradition.
“I like the idea of building on that good feeling that Book King has generated,” she said.
Eddy said the Tuttle space is an ideal location for a bookstore and expressed confidence Dulli would do well in her new endeavor.
Downtown Rutland has experienced its share of ups and downs but Eddy never considered moving to one of the outlying malls or shopping centers.
“I’ve always believed in the downtown,” he said.
With the national economy in the throes of the worst downturn since the Great
Depression, the downtown is going through another period marked by empty storefronts. But Eddy said he’s confident the business district will rebound once again.
Many independent bookstores have fallen by the wayside over the years, the victim of chains like Borders, Barnes & Noble and the success of Amazon.com.
“It’s very difficult to compete with Amazon,” Eddy said. “It’s like trying to fight Mother Nature.”
While he can’t compete with the chains on price, Eddy said his advantage is personal service, which has created a loyal customer base.
“The way you do compete with the big box stores and with Amazon, you know your community and you know the wants of your community and you establish ties with your community and people appreciate that,” he said.
Michael Coppinger, executive director of the Downtown Rutland Partnership, praised Eddy for his dedication to the downtown, calling him an unsung hero.
“Thirty-eight years for me is a lifetime for someone to be running a business,” said Coppinger, who grew up with Eddy’s son, Nate.
Coppinger also said he was looking forward to Dulli carrying on the tradition of the community bookstore with new ideas and energy.
Eddy will be on hand to help Dulli during the transition. Book King customers will continue to see a familiar face. Joanne Johnston, who has worked for Eddy for 30 years, will continue to be a fixture at the new store.
Eddy will now focus his future on continuing to give back to the community that’s been good to him.
He also leaves behind 38 years of fond memories. “Bookstores seem to attract not only interesting people but really nice people and that’s what I’m going to miss,” Eddy said.
Contact Bruce Edwards at bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com.
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