Local News 1 recently held a Q&A session with Helen Wintle, owner of Waynesboro’s Wee Scot Book Shoppe.
___________________________________________________________________________________
LN1: How did your background teaching English influence your entry into the bookstore business?
Helen: I didn’t go into teaching until I was 38, but books have always been a part of my life. When I left teaching, I always thought it would be cool to open a book shop, but it wasn’t a lifelong dream. But one day I decided that was what I wanted to do.
LN1: How did you find this charming retail space and what was required to prepare it for opening?
Helen: It was a fortuitous discovery. I was driving through town and this place was empty. I stopped to get the phone number, and as it happened, the girl scouts were here, the landlord allowed them to sell their cookies in this space. So it was open and I came in and thought- this feels right. As a teacher, I had the summer off to work on the space. We painted the place, my friend helped me. I sanded and stained 99.9% of the wood. Clint, who helps out here, built the shelves. My grand opening was August 16th, 2019.
LN1: Were you inspired by other book stores?
Helen: There’s a town in Wales, it’s called Hay-on-Wye, and it’s the used book capital of the world. My brother and his wife had been there and told me to check it out. The guy who started it all, Richard Booth, I went into his shop and it had wood floors, big leather chairs, and plants. I just loved it. That was the inspiration for what I eventually did with this store.
LN1: Do you have a specialty niche within the book business?
Helen: My favorite thing is vintage- I sell a lot of that. I have people who come in looking for older books. I also have plenty of room for events here. We’re doing a Pete the Cat paint party coming up. My shop hosts book signings and other specialty events.
LN1: What trends do you see in the independent bookstore market?
Helen: When I did my business plan, I came across an article how independent bookstores were making a comeback and that is what’s happening. When I’m online researching books, there are more and more booksellers I hadn’t previously seen. I can’t say what percentage of those are brick-and-mortar stores, but the general trend I see is that our industry is growing.
LN1: Who are your favorite authors and what reading genres do you admire?
Helen: I like the classics- I’m a very much a Shakespeare fan. As far as newer works, I read historical fiction and mysteries. Louise Penny and Sharon Kay Penman are great. Alan Bradley writes a mystery series and the main character is an eleven-year-old girl. It’s based in England and she solves all these
mysteries that happen in her village. I read a lot of British authors. But I also love Barbara Kingsolver’s work. She’s one of my favorite authors.
LN1: How do you find the Waynesboro business climate?
Helen: It’s a great community, a supportive town. I’ve lived in Waynesboro over twenty years and have met more people after opening this shop since I previously taught in Smithsburg. I’ve really enjoyed the atmosphere in Waynesboro. I feel very welcome here.
LN1: What challenges do you face going forward?
Helen: Every year I’ve done better and better, but I need to improve since I’ve opened Wee Scot and Beyond next door. I knew I needed more space but its sometimes stressful taking on more. I’ve also been working on building my online catalog, trying to load it in the right format. I’m not a techie person. I can do it, but don’t enjoy it. I have 34,000 titles, so the process can be daunting.
LN1: Your dog “Mac” is the namesake for your store- what is her story?
Helen: I’ve always loved Scottie dogs. My sister-in-law called my first Scottie Wee Scot. So Mac is actually the second Wee Scot. I was driving along one day and wondered what I was going to name my place and it just came to me. It was a great idea to name it for her because people have come here from all over. I had a couple from Ohio who were Scottie lovers- they drove over from Gettysburg to see her. Lady Macbeth is her full name. She lives up to that name, she’s feisty.
LN1: What are the benefits of reading?
Helen: I had a banner in my classroom that said “travel the world- read”. I like to travel, so when I can’t travel, I read a book. Reading is a great escape. I used to tell my students I don’t care what you’re reading, as long as you’re doing it. But you have to practice it. Choose the right book.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Wee Scot Book Shoppe and Wee Scot and Beyond, 4 E. Main Street, Waynesboro. (717-655-2129) weescotbookshoppe.com.
