Wren and Purl has been seeing a lot of people visiting the shop this July, as they were added to the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association’s road map contest in mid-June.
Wendy Dorn-Recalde said it was her goal to have their books offered for sale to be enough to be included as an independent bookseller stop for the tour, and they met that goal at the beginning of July.
“We’re looking to be added to the national registry as well moving forward, but this was the first step,” Dorn-Recalde said.
And being a spot on that map for the tour this summer has already paid off for the shop.
“We’re seeing roughly five or more customers a day visiting and shopping just for books from the shop,” said Gretchen Lindenboldt, co-owner of Wren and Purl. “It’s a huge deal, as many of those visiting aren’t just from the Mount Vernon area, but from across the state and then taking an opportunity to see what else is on offer.”
Some of those shoppers have been checking out the yarn and other craft supplies the shop is able to offer.
That added foot traffic, when it comes to book sales and the yarn and fabric sales have helped Wren and Purl have one of their best July sales months on record.
Among new offerings at the shop aside from books has been a range of yarn produced in the United States and dyed by Dorn-Recalde.
“We give the yarns names of some of the things you can spot around Mount Vernon or Lisbon,” Dorn-Recalde said. “Names like Ink Pond or Chalk the Walk that highlight the colors you’re going to find in the skein you’re going to work with.”
That was a solution that was generated to help the shop weather the tariff situation, by having more United States made yarns in the shop. The yarn that is dyed is produced in the United States.
And while more shelves for additional books are being added in the future throughout the shop, the biggest hurdle for the shop with all the foot traffic is keeping books on shelves.
“Our suppliers can be really slow, especially with books, to get them here,” Dorn-Recalde said. “I’ve had to pull some books from my personal library to help on the shelves at times.”
For the shop owners, though, having a record month in a month like July, which has traditionally been a slower month, is a big deal.
The Midwest Independent Bookseller Association Roadmap Contest stretches year round, with a winner drawn every month for $50 and each year a winner being drawn for $500.