Jun 1, 2009

Meet Your Merchant: Quite the novel shopBy Jeff AckermanTheUnion.com

Kit Hattem gets a little nervous when she looks at her bedside table and doesn’t see a stack of books. Fortunately, the owner of The Book Seller in downtown Grass Valley doesn’t have to look far to keep that table stacked to the lamp-top and beyond.

Hattem purchased The Book Seller from Nancy Rains in 1985, after working for her almost nine years. “I’ve been around the store for a long time and have seen a lot of changes,” said Hattem. “I was actually with Nancy when she started it. I was busy having kids at the time and really didn’t want to jump in with both feet yet. In fact, Nancy was at a book convention when my son was born. He’s 31 now.”

When Rains decided it was time to move on, Hattem was ready to take over. “I was already working there and my kids were old enough to have jobs.”

A downtown institution, The Book Seller was originally located in the basement of 147 and a half Mill Street before moving to what is still known as The Union building. In 1987 Hattem moved again to the store’s present location at 107 Mill St. “We borrowed trucks from B&C,” recalled Hattem. “We had to move these huge book shelves and a couple of thousand books. It was quite an ordeal.

“I love the idea of being downtown,” said Hattem. “So many places in the country have lost their downtown charm. A lot of people have been doing a lot of work to keep downtown Grass Valley vibrant. We have a wonderful selection of stores and shops. I also love the events that provide the overall exposure.”

An experienced and “hands-on” staff are keys to The Book Seller’s success, according to Hattem.

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