Folklore Bookshop opens a new chapter in Midway

There is an essence in the middle that makes people from all over the world experience the folklore of the community, their timeless traditions, customs and stories that have communicated over generations.

Right in the Main Street, a new chalet style made of white Swiss chalet is aimed at integrating into the picturesque synergy of the city. It is decorated with a gable roof, a creamy stone and a wooden outer – the perfect addition to the carefully curated, charming collection of 6,000 titles, which are built into the shop in Buchhals.

It is planned with the co-owners Lindsey Leavitt Brown, Alison Russell and Audrey Lind-one author, retailer and librarianfast for two years to build their cozy new bookshop from scratch. In just four months, Folklore in Midway has already become an integral part of a growing business world to offer tourists and locals an inviting and integrative space alike.

“My favorite bookstores are those that have history. We always talk about King's English (Bookshop in Salt Lake City). This is the one I grew up with, and that has a different charm. It is very tumbled … and people remember it. These are the bookstores with which my age my age grew up and love them, ”said Russell.

Leavitt Brown added: “We don't compete. We create something that is only a little different. ”

She and Russell live in the same neighborhood and built a long -term friendship by participating in the Swiss Miss program. Whenever there were downtime, women began to share small business ideas or things they could do to improve the community. The first iteration: a tea shop with gifts and books.

From there, the concept developed with the aim of offering an open event space in which the Midway community was able to gather.

“Reading connects people even though it is a lonely thing. I think it connects people and people want stories, ”said Lind.

She met Leavitt Brown during her children's basketball games and connected to books. The author introduced the librarian to the retailer when the women had chosen the idea of ​​founding a book sales company.

The entrepreneurs looked at houses that they wondered in a shop, but the property they wanted to buy was sold before they could accept an offer. This process encouraged women to build from the ground up to create a mindful layout with their own unique spirit.

While Barnes & Noble experienced a revival with the resuscitation of reading in the course of pandemic, the owners of Folklore wanted to create a joint -based retail experience for customers than a consumer -oriented company.

“It's a third place. Somewhere you can feel comfortable, this is not your house, ”said Lind.

According to Leavitt Brown, these types of attitudes have decreased in the past 20 years in the past 20 years. People don't visit shopping centers. They don't often go to bowling alley or ice rinks. There are not many places, especially in the middle, so that people can hang around.

“We only make it possible, we are not the epicenter, but it was cool,” said Leavitt Brown.

The Folklore employees started a club “Bring Your Own Book”, in which other readers can meet and mix. Organized a Galine's Day party to honor female friendships; Organized a midnight party for the “Onyx Storm”, the well -awaited third book in Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series; And organized a birthday party for Taylor Swift, whose studio album 2020 has a name with the independent bookstore.

“We had two hours away. I spoke to some of the women who were there and I said: “Oh, did she come together?” And they are like 'no. We just met, but now we are friends, “said Leavitt Brown. Other people who recently moved to Midway said they found it easier to meet people at folklore because they have something to speak immediately.

The women expected about half of their business to come from locals and the other half of people who visit the middle of the surrounding communities. However, what distinguishes the folklore from other bookstores is the desire to stay for a while, connect with others and to understand an experience outside of their own.

How often is there the opportunity in today's society to have a conversation with a stranger, Leavitt Brown asked. The company name is an ode to the oral tradition and stories of a community.

“Ultimately, we only want people in the community to connect and do their own things, but take the energy that we create here and go to the rest of the world,” said Russell.

Folklore has a warm, inviting interior with stacks of books, which are organized by genres such as fantasy, romance, speculative fiction, poetry and children's books as well as a department for the cross-topic bookseller and a rotating selection of folklore from different cultures and book trade bonded tables Author features. There are also large comfortable sofas, stools in the reading corners, a bar with many branches for long -distance work, a functioning typewriter and a fireplace.

Midway was viewed as the perfect place for the new business, since it is still accessible and aspiring for many, especially since the prices in the Park City continue to rise. Leavitt Brown, Russell and Lind took part in several city meetings than they prepared to open folklore, and found that there was a random, symbiotic energy for the business world.

Although they don't have much experience in business, the women said that their different strengths have made their trio successful. You did pretty well with a test and haven't had a lot of mistakes since the opening in October.

Folklore will organize several community events all year round, including a fantasy book club on Thursday, a conversation with bestselling author Elle Cosimano at 7 p.m. on March 5 and an event your own book club on March 11th at 6 p.m.

The new bookstore is one of several new additions to Midway's shopping scene, which only grows with the opening of the delicate pears, the flower bar Co. and the Midway Bakery.

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