I've mentioned Aunt Agatha's before in passing. But I thought such a wonderful shop deserved a more fulsome discussion today. Aunt Agatha's is southeast Michigan's only mystery bookstore. And if you're only allowed one,
having that one run by Jamie and Robin Agnew is about the most you can hope for.Located in the Kerrytown section of Ann Arbor, it's a place to wile away hours looking at both used and new books. You can also join their bookgroup or find authors there reading and signing their books. Robin Agnew, on her way to New York for her first gallery show (watercolors) answered a few questions for me.
How and when did Aunt Agatha's begin?
1992. Jamie was working at Borders at the time and wasn't totally happy there. They had just been bought by K-Mart (that turned out to be temporary) and we were young enough at the time that it sounded like a good idea.
Was it always a dream of yours to have a bookstore and mystery one at that?
Not really! But I have been an avid mystery reader since grade school, starting like so many others with Nancy Drew. Jamie really wasn't a mystery reader when we opened, so he started reading his way through the alphabet. His first favorite writers were Marjory Allingham and James Lee Burke. Now I think he would call himself a fan.
Is Ann Arbor a better city than most right now for readers?
It's a great reader's town, and we're happy we sell used books.
Who was the first writer that did a reading at Aunt Agatha's? Is having a relationship with so many writers an unexpected plus?
The first writers we had in was James Melville, who was completely charming. He had signed books in Kalamazoo at Jim Huang's store and Jim brought him over. He kissed my hand in a very courtly fashion, and every other writer since has had a lot to live up to! And definitely meeting so many writers is a complete bonus, maybe almost my favorite thing about the store.
Has the Internet changed business?
Yes, as I think many younger people go to Amazon automatically. There are even tenants upstairs who order books from Amazon! The last time we took in a package I told the woman I refused to sign for packages from Amazon any longer. On the plus side, there are things like blogs and having our own website has been a plus.
What don't people know about selling books or running a bookstore?
It's not easy! People think all we do is sit and read but that's not really the case. Imagine, just on one level, having a house where anyone was free to walk in, look at whatever they wanted, sometimes making a mess without buying a thing. It takes a lot of thinking and planning to get people in the door. Events are a giant help, and all of the connections you need take time to grow. I still feel like we are just getting started, 16 years into it.
Robin can be found every Saturday at the blog, Hey, There's a Dead Guy in My Living Room and both Robin and Jamie can be found at Aunt Agatha's if you're in Ann Arbor. You will more than likely find someone there to talk crime fiction with too.
CHECK OUT TRAVIS' MTM BLOGGERS.
10 comments:
Sounds like a great bookstore. I always go the independents first :-)
Ann Arbor gets a double dip this week. I love that kind of store so if I ever venture that way I'll try and stop in.
AA has a lot of good used bookstores to peruse, but Aunt Agatha's the only mystery bookstore, which makes it special.
I, too, was a Bordron in 1992, and enjoyed the marriage by K-Mart of Borders and Waldenbooks (and the retrofitting of Walden's project Bassett Books as Borders). The management of K-Mart might not've been ingenious, but the successors have gotten worse and worse...the chain is tottering.
Apropos of nothing above, here's a link to Dana Stabenow speaking of the history of Alaska from the perspective of various women.
http://www.uas.alaska.edu/media/productions/?collection=2004+Women's+History+Month
(Also my name's hotlink.)
Sounds like a really fun bookstore. We've lost most of the independent stores in my area. :(
Linda
I hate being 2000 miles away from Aunt Agatha's, and Robin & Jamie too!!! It is a great bookstore, and heaven knows how much money I've spent there! Now that I'm employed, I hope to order from them soon! I'm glad you wrote about this!
This was a great post on an equally great bookstore. I'm getting more into mysteries so I'll keep them in mind.
Did you read my Nov 10 post about Aunt Agatha's? Great minds think alike! That's us, Patti!
Here's the link to my Aunt Agatha's post:
http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-town-monday-ann-arbor-mi.html
I'm with Debra, I always want to support a bookstore where I think the owner might be the seller. I read mysteries as a guilty pleasure, and it sounds like it would be a pleasure to visit Aunt Agatha's.
Yes, I did, Barrie. I thought I should have done it long ago after reading your post. Thanks. (Should have done Zingermans too)
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