In November, 2006, Garrison Keillor, of Lake Woebegone and Prairie Home Companion fame, opened a new bookstore in St. Paul, MN. Called Common Good Books, it is located in a basement nook at 165 Western Avenue North in St. Paul's Cathedral Hill neighborhood, but his literary tastes were on display.
There's a special focus on local and regional authors and Keillor's favorite poetry. The works of another Keillor favorite, and St. Paul native, F. Scott Fitzgerald, fill an entire shelf.
"We're not trying to be all things to all people," said store manager Sue Zumberge. "It's not because we look down on those; it's just because you can find them elsewhere."
The net result is a bookstore that is full of surprises, at least to author George Brandsberg, who visited the store during the holidays and said, “Where else would you find several novels by Mari Sandoz and lots of other regional writers?” Or for that matter, Brandsberg’s own novel, AFOOT, of which Ms. Zumberge ordered several copies.
For an on-line visit to the store, go to http://www.commongoodbooks.com.
The Cedartip Company continues to negotiate for national circulation with companies like Borders Books and Barnes and Noble.
The Associated Press contributed some information for this article.
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