fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Woodstock’s Golden Notebook is a haven for book-lovers

by Lynn Woods
April 1, 2016
in Books, Community
0
Jacqueline Kellachan of The Golden Notebook (photo by Dion Ogust)
Jacqueline Kellachan of The Golden Notebook (photo by Dion Ogust)

First it was Barnes & Noble, then it was Amazon: Stiff competition by chain stores, followed by the advent of online powerhouse Amazon with its predatory pricing, has been signing the death warrant for the independent bookstore for many years now. Except that the anachronism refuses to die, thanks to dedicated, creative entrepreneurs who view their store as a vital part of the local community and book-lovers who still prefer to browse the aisles rather than the internet. Here in the Hudson Valley, we are fortunate to have several thriving independent bookstores, one of which, Woodstock’s Golden Notebook, has been operating since 1978 and is considered a local institution.

Operated by Jacqueline Kellachan since 2010, the store recently was awarded a $7,500 grant from best-selling novelist James Patterson, who gave away more than $1 million to 178 independent bookstores in 2014. The grant was proof that Kellachan, who, prior to buying the business, didn’t have experience in publishing or book-selling, has learned her new trade well. Almanac Weekly’s Lynn Woods recently talked to Kellachan:

 

What did you do before purchasing the Golden Notebook?

I worked for the City of New York and the state as an infectious disease epidemiologist, investigating disease outbreak and surveillance.

 

What motivated you to buy the bookstore?

I had moved to Woodstock in 2005 and become committed to the community. The bookstore’s original owners, Barry Samuelson and Ellen Shapiro, had run a wonderfully successful business, but saw it cut in half between 2002 and 2007, after the big-box stores and Amazon gained critical mass. In 2010 they were ready to get out, and I bought it because I felt it was important to preserve the visceral physical space of the bookstore so that people could experience discoverability in a physical way, not via an algorithm. I believe in what bookstores can provide: the added experience through interaction, curation and author events.

 

How many author events do you host a year?

We do 100 a year, and all are free. Not everyone will buy a book, but they’ll walk away with something. We must do events to bring people in the door and get our name out there. We’ve become an important cultural resource in the community, and we work very hard to be relevant.

Recently we were lucky enough to get a lot of signed books by Neil Gaiman, which we ordered from all over the country and world. He and his wife, Amanda Palmer, teach at Bard, and on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving [he was among the authors] who came into our store to work. Indie Saturday is a new tradition, which we’ve had for two years. This year spokespeople came into our store, Oblong Books and Spotty Dog, in Hudson. They signed lots of books.

 

Any other ways you market the bookstore?

I’m on WAMC’s Roundtable every six, seven weeks on Tuesday morning, when the show is devoted to authors and local booksellers come on to talk about books. When I was on last Tuesday, I talked about several children’s books, two food books and three biographies I liked, which are listed on our website.

My philosophy with the store is saying “Yes” to everyone and everything, including a local writer who may not have been published by the big publishing companies. We do events with people who have published their own books. There has been an explosion of self-publishing.

 

Do you sponsor other types of events?

[Writer and Woodstock Times reporter] Violet Snow has a group called Glaring Omissions that meets in our store one Sunday a month, with many members who are writers. The Woodstock Poetry Society has its monthly meeting here on Saturday.

 

Page 1 of 2
12Next
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Lustre Kings headline Elvis’ 80th Birthday Bash in Hudson

Next Post

Sultans of String play Falcon

Lynn Woods

Related Posts

Stroke survivor, now 86, is dancing in her wheelchair, singing out loud
Community

Stroke survivor, now 86, is dancing in her wheelchair, singing out loud

June 1, 2023
Man in hang glider rescued after getting stuck in tree
Community

Shawangunk Ridge property recognized as ‘Hang-Gliding Capital of the Northeast’

May 31, 2023
Dozens of activities for all ages in Ulster County this week
Community

Dozens of activities for all ages in Ulster County this week

May 31, 2023
Pride reaffirmed in New Paltz
Community

Pride reaffirmed in New Paltz

May 28, 2023
Most pools in Ulster County gear up to reopen
Community

Update: Moriello Pool in New Paltz to open May 29

May 29, 2023
Horsin’ around in Saugerties (photos)
Community

Horsin’ around in Saugerties (photos)

May 26, 2023
Next Post

Sultans of String play Falcon

Trending News

  • Victim’s mother was assured by Kingston school officials that her son would be safe, notice of claim now entered against the district 3.6k views
  • Who’s to blame for Kingston’s inadequate playing fields? Just ask the parents 839 views
  • Pride reaffirmed in New Paltz 725 views
  • At iPark 87, things do seem different this time 427 views
  • Vintage baseball game in Hudson Valley will play by 1800s rules 323 views
  • In a push for affordable housing, Metzger proposes a $15-million fund   320 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
66°
Clear
5:22 am8:25 pm EDT
Feels like: 66°F
Wind: 0mph NE
Humidity: 77%
Pressure: 30.01"Hg
UV index: 0
SatSunMon
70/48°F
73/48°F
72/50°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing