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Time For More Time

I believe the best way to start this column is to say the following: after 36 seasons I will be closing Passtimes Books. I am sure that many of you are startled and, perhaps, disappointed by this news. And there may even be some out there who are currently thinking, “What took you so long?” However you might feel, Passtimes Books will permanently close its doors in later October.

I can’t really say that this has been a difficult decision. Indeed, I have been considering the possibility for several years. Before you begin hypothesizing the reasons for the closure, however, allow me to put them in print.

First, let me say that it has nothing to do with e-books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any of that other stuff people are so quick to point to when an independent bookstore closes. I am not saying that these things have not had some effect on my business, but they are incidental and certainly not insurmountable in Door County.

What is a factor is the seemingly ever-lengthening “off-season” in Door County (or, conversely, the ever-shrinking “high” tourist season). What was once a six- or seven-month “off-season” is now easily eight months and the “high” season amounts to about six weeks.

When you combine the shrinking tourist season with the almost nonexistent winter tourism (I should note that in recent years this has been exacerbated by extremely bad weather – no snow, snow on weekends, extreme cold, too warm, etc.) the amount of discretionary income available to year-round residents decreases. And when you have bad winter after bad winter the financial strains on the locals increases exponentially.

While I may wish it were otherwise, the reality is that bookselling relies on people with discretionary income and there just aren’t enough people with discretionary income in the prolonged off-season.

When my parents started Passtimes Books it was the only bookstore in northern Door County – indeed, at one time we had three stores: our original seasonal store in Ephraim, a Sister Bay store, and a store on Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. Now, not only are there a multitude of bookstores, you can also buy at least some books in virtually every gift shop in the county. And that’s fine. I want books to be sold and people to be reading them; but it does slice the available pie into ever-thinner pieces.

The second reason for my decision is Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc., the company that publishes the Peninsula Pulse, Door County Living magazine, and operates the Paper Boy delivery service. This is my other job and the source of almost all my income. Most importantly, I really love working for this company and its people. We’ve been together for quite some time now and I have been fortunate to watch as the company has grown and, hopefully, have contributed in some fashion in that growth.

This job affords me the opportunity to travel to businesses throughout the county – from Gills Rock to Sturgeon Bay – and I enjoy working with the business owners, talking with them (usually for far too long), and finding out about their concerns and successes. This job also allows me to write this column, with very little interference, and provides the thoughtful editing that any writer should feel lucky to have available.

But lately I have been thinking about what more I can do to help Peninsula Publishing & Distribution, Inc. continue to grow and the one thing I keep coming back too is this: give them more of my time, something I cannot do as long as I have Passtimes Books open for business.

Certainly not least among these various reasons is my wife, Barb. Even when she had a full-time job the bookstore limited my availability to spend as much time as I would like with her. Now that she has a part-time job I am even more cognizant of how limited my availability is with the bookstore open. So, with the store closed, I will be able to spend more time with Barb – even if it’s just something as simple as a long walk, or something more strenuous like cross-country skiing this winter (assuming we have the snow to make it possible).

Finally, I would not be honest if I didn’t acknowledge that I look forward to having more time to do some of the things I currently can’t (or don’t do).

I look forward to the opportunity to see my nephew, Caleb, catch some passes for Wisconsin Lutheran College this year and next before he graduates. Perhaps I will finally get back out on a golf course next year – something I once did almost daily – to see if I can still play the game. And maybe, just maybe, I will spend some of my newfound time writing down some of the stories that are always floating through my head.

I have spent 30 years selling books and 27 of those years have been behind the counter in Passtimes Books. I will miss the customers and the many, many hours spent talking books and authors. The time has come for a change, however, and that change means that Passtimes Books will close.

As my mother said when I told of her of my decision, “It’s been a great run.”