Sep 22, 2008

Front Porch Books, back door pricesBy Zach DionneMedia.MaineCampus.com

A new student at the University of Maine decides to check out the university’s bestselling alumnus, Stephen King. They take the plunge into the storytelling master’s back catalogue with a nice hardcover edition. The UMaine bookstore charges somewhere in the neighborhood of $20. Defeated and penniless, the student returns to their dorm.

Or the student visits 67 Pine St., Orono, home of Vicky Erker, and purchases a “gently used” copy of King’s critically-acclaimed 1998 work, “Bag of Bones” from Front Porch Books for $8 – all in a vibrant, refreshing shop, where conversation is readily available from a literary connoisseur, eager and able to help and advise.

Erker, 52, has been in the book business for five years, selling from her home. Just over a year ago, her husband built a shop for Front Porch Books from the ground up.

“I specifically wanted to sell books that almost looked new, that could be given as gifts as well as read, but still have used book prices,” Erker said. “I wanted to have [the books] in a clean, well-lit, sunny space, and I wanted them to be well-organized.”

Erker’s shop is indeed the inviting location she sought it to be. She quotes from Anne Fadiman’s collection of essays, “Ex Libris,” about courtly love versus carnal love for books. “I would say that I have more of a courtly love of books.” With Front Porch’s lack of teetering, ancient book piles and the absence of a peculiar, unidentifiable scent, visitors may forget if they are browsing a used book shop or a homier subsidiary of Borders.

“I love going there; I love to sit and browse,” said Pam Simon, 54, of Orono. Simon has known Erker for 20 years. “I love her shop because it’s so warm and welcoming.”

Front Porch’s collection stands at roughly 3,000 volumes. Which, for a genuine bibliophile, is manageable.

“I am pretty familiar with the books. Generally people can walk in and say, ‘I need a gift for someone who’s interested in,’ or ‘I like to read this author, what would you suggest?’ I know books, and I know my shop, and I love doing readers’ advisory. I love to talk books, hear what people are reading, [and] love to suggest books,” Erker said.

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