Paperback’s owner has heart for books

By Mary Jane Ryals and Michael Trammell

People say if something has worked for two decades, then it doesn’t need fixing. When Lisa Hart took over the Paperback Rack bookstore, located at 1005 North Monroe Street, she had the same thought. Since former owner Pete LeForge stepped down a year ago, Hart has kept the basic formula. She lines her shelves with a full collection of mystery, science fiction, and literary books, both new and used. Only a few minor changes have been made.

“A few feminine touches,” says Hart. When a reader walks in and says, “I just called about Victor Hugo,” Hart is eager to help. Her welcoming nature creates an accommodating atmosphere. Besides, how often does anyone ask about the author of Les Miserable in a chain store? Or in any used bookstore?

“We don’t just have pop fiction,” says Helen Kuncicky, a long-time store employee. “We have a huge selection of literary criticism, drama, philosophy, and quality literature.”

The vast selection hits customers as soon as they step through the door. New books by Maya Angelou and Italo Calvino, and the latest edition of the Writings of Mahatma Gandhi are displayed upfront. Walls of shelves line the store’s perimeter and form neat aisles filled with rows of poetry collections, African-Americans literature, travel guides, local literary magazines, children’s titles, books on tape, women’s studies texts, foreign language primers, and works by local authors such as poet Rick Campbell. Owner Lisa Hart’s mix of genres and subjects that line her bookshop’s shelves reflects the mix of heart and humor she uses to run the store. She looks back on her early days at Paperback Rack with a smile.

“I didn’t mean to stay here,” Hart says of working at the shop. She began work 15 years ago when the store was located on Pensacola Street. She worked for seven to eight years, then left for two years after she had her son Corey. She asked if she could come back just a couple of days a week. “It was my calling. [The store] couldn’t shake me,” Hart says. Hart’s family also has a genuine good humor about her passion for books. “You should see our house,” husband Joe Hart says of Lisa. “She’s into books. They’re stacked under the bed, in closets, in chests.”

Corey Hart admits his mom’s love of literature worries him at times. “I kind of hide my books,” he jokes. Her son, husband, and employees agree on Hart’s expertise. Whenever there is a question about a text, everyone says, “Ask Lisa, she knows everything.” She attributes her love for books to former owner LeForge. “Pete is just cool. I used to read romances. Because of him, I now read good stuff.”

In fact, it was LeForge and Hart’s husband who encouraged her to purchase the store. At first the idea intimidated her. “I thought, no way. I can’t handle that,” she says. But then she received encouragement from the best source. “You’re good. You can do it,” her husband said. “Give it a whirl.” They invested, and the rest is history.

The Paperback Rack is open Monday - Saturday from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sunday from noon-6 p.m. All new books are 10 percent off. Used books (if needed at the time) can be brought in for trade: 1/4 of the cover price of each accepted book will go toward credit for purchases.