Wednesday, November 2, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Iconic book store in new hands
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
“For the past six years,
I’ve told friends that I wanted
to own a bookstore,” Lane
Jacobson told The Nugget last
week.
The bookstore he
described in those conversa-
tions was very specific: about
half the size of the store he
managed in North Carolina —
Chapel Hill’s highly regarded
Flyleaf Books — one that
also carried games and toys,
and was located in a mountain
community that cares about
books and art.
Turns out, he was envi-
sioning Paulina Springs
Books. As of November 1, he
is the owner of that very store.
“This is exactly that,” he
said.
Jacobson grew up in a
mountain resort community
— Mammoth Lakes — did
a brief stint at the U.S. Air
Force Academy in Colorado,
then headed across the coun-
try to the University of North
Carolina. An English and
anthropology major, he took
a part-time job at Flyleaf
Books. He planned to leave
on graduation, but the owners
of Flyleaf made him an offer
he couldn’t refuse.
“I stayed at Flyleaf and
just became a big part of that
store and by the time I left
became the manager and lead
buyer,” he recalled.
Jacobson learned the
booksellers’ trade from top
to bottom from mentors in
the American Booksellers
Association, and feels well
prepared to take the reins at
a shop that has been a Sisters
institution for more than 25
years.
He acknowledges that
it may seem counterintui-
tive to take ownership of an
independent bookstore in an
era of profound upheaval in
an industry that has seen so
many independents — and
big chains — fold in the face
of a decline in readership and
competition from the online
behemoth, Amazon.
Yet Jacobson firmly
believes that he is riding a
countervailing trend.
“Since 2009, more book-
stores have opened than have
closed,” he notes.
And the patrons of inde-
pendent bookstores have
become increasingly inten-
tional and passionate in their
support, seeking to keep their
dollars local.
“People are happy to spend
their money locally,” he said.
Bookstores have had to
adapt, of course, and they
have to deliver on both prod-
uct and services.
“You kind of find your
niche, you settle into it,
and you do that very well,”
Jacobson said. “You’re not
just selling a product; you’re
selling an experience.”
You kind of find your
niche, you settle
into it, and you do that
very well. You’re not just
selling a product; you’re
selling an experience.
— Lane Jacobson
Paulina Springs has been
providing a unique experi-
ence to Sisters residents and
visitors since Diane Campbell
and Dick Sandvik founded
it in 1992. In 2003, Brad
Smith took ownership and
put a larger-than-life personal
stamp on it until his death
from cancer last spring.
Jacobson is acutely aware
that there is a profound legacy
in the beloved institution he
has taken over.
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Lane Jacobson is the new owner of Paulina Springs Books — for 25 years
a Sisters institution.
“If I can at the very least
maintain what (Brad Smith)
had going on here, I will be
very happy,” he told The
Nugget.
Jacobson is a passionate
consumer of his own product.
Queried about his favorite
reads of 2018, he had several
ready answers — although he
acknowledged that his read-
ing of late has been, by neces-
sity, practical.
“I’ve been reading a lot of
business books,” he said with
chuckle.
Jacobson lists “They’re
There” at the top of his pile
of 2018 reads, calling it a
“groundbreaking” look at the
urban Native American expe-
rience in California. He cited
“The Overstory,” which he
expects to win awards. He
also acknowledged a strong
taste for horror fiction.
“On the drive out here, I
listened to the audio edition
of ‘The Troop’ by Nick Cutter
— and it was absolutely hor-
rifying,” he said.
His all-time favorite
book? No question there:
“Lonesome Dove,” by Larry
McMurtry. He named his LLC
Hat Creek Book Co. in tribute
to Gus McCrae and Woodrow
Call’s ramshackle cattle out-
fit. In keeping with that clas-
sic American epic, Jacobson
can assure Sisters that there is
one thing that Paulina Springs
Books will NOT offer: They
don’t rent pigs.
To follow Paulina Springs’
calendar of author events
and other doings, visit www.
paulinaspringsbooks.com.