By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Many bad trends have made the rounds across various social media platforms in recent years. One, however, is not so bad: millennial women enjoying some wine while perusing the pages of the latest bestseller as part of a book club. That’s only part of the reason Kelsey Hall and Rebecca Kratzer recently celebrated the grand opening of their retail book and liquor store, The Book Cellar, at 221 Main Street in Claflin.
“We both moved there about three years ago, and it doesn’t have a liquor store,” Hall said of Claflin. “In a perfect world, we wanted a bookstore but weren’t sure it would make enough money in a small town, so what else could we add in? Liquor sounded good.”
The other reason? Simple need. Books for purchase are available in a few locations around Barton County, but no single store can be called a true bookstore.
“I think this dream somewhat started when we went to buy a gift for a friend who is in a book club,” said Hall. “She wanted these three books, and we were sure Walmart would have them. Walmart didn’t have them. We wondered where else we could go in Great Bend, then realized there’s not a single place in Great Bend that carries physical books. It was something we needed in the next day or two, so we couldn’t order it online.”
Hall moved to Hoisington in 2012 before moving again to Claflin three years ago. Kratzer grew up in Ellsworth, left for college, then moved back to the area a few years ago. Both work full-time for the Barton County Upward Bound program. The dream of owning a bookstore took on a new reality when the future of the federal grant-funded program became questionable.
“It was like, ‘Man, if we lose our jobs, do you think we could open a bookstore?’" Hall quipped. “Funny jokes turned into chasing a dream turned into, ‘Holy cow, we just opened a book-liquor store.’”
But some consideration went into the big leap. Hall and Kratzer knew about the perils of opening a new business, especially one that will have to compete against the likes of mass retailers and online booksellers. Kratzer said The Book Cellar will cater to local customers shopping for their favorite authors and titles or their favorite wines and spirits.
“We did a survey before we got started, for both the books and the liquor, to get an idea of what people were interested in seeing in Claflin and in all of Barton County,” Kratzer said. “It was open to the public for whoever saw it, and people shared it. We got some really good feedback on the different genres they wanted us to lean a little heavier into with our selection.”
More thought went into what it takes to actually run and sustain a business. The young entrepreneurs reached out to those with experience.
“We have really good partnerships within our community,” said Kratzer. “In Claflin, there’s Millers of Claflin, there’s Front Street. In Hoisington, there’s Brick and Blossom. They’ve just been really supportive when we’ve talked to them about doing this, and the feasibility. The business owners have been very kind and willing to give us their advice and experiences to help guide is in the right direction.”
Hall said the store will continue to grow its book inventory in a variety of ways, including direct contact with publishers. But the key to finding out what people want to read is simply by asking.
“It’s been our dream to run a store,” she said, “but we’re also surrounded by women our age who are also reading, who are parts of book clubs. So, in terms of choosing books, it’s been very conversational like, ‘What are you reading right now?’”
Hall and Kratzer are also mindful of other businesses in the area. Other stores in Claflin already sell beer. The Book Cellar will focus on other alcoholic beverages to avoid competition with those stores, and to give customers a better local variety. But selling alcohol might be the easy part. Knowing which book to suggest next when a customer favors certain titles or authors will be a Book Cellar specialty.
“It’s being that knowledgeable staff to be able to sit and talk to you about it, and if I don’t know about it, to be willing to do some research and find some good options for you,” Kratzer said. “I’m putting in that extra work that, hopefully, makes it worthwhile to you to buy that book from me because of that time I’m putting in.”
Because The Book Cellar is a retail liquor space, readers will not be able to enjoy a glass of wine while reading their favorite book in the store, but Hall and Kratzer are looking into ways to make that a reality.
"We have some future dreams where that might be able to happen, but we’re hoping to be able to capitalize on a trend right now," Hall said. "We both very much know it is a trend, and hopefully it’s something we can continue to stay on the trend and go with the trend."
For now, both women maintain their full-time jobs, and The Book Cellar hours will mirror other downtown business hours in Claflin. The store will be open from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursdays, from 2-8 p.m. on Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
“It’s that small business vibe where we’re really excited to partner with other local businesses and bring people back to shopping small,” Hall said, “especially around the holidays.”