By Sharon Verbeten
After existing in an old, dark venue in Plymouth for 13 years, Dear Old Books needed a new chapter. And manager Amy Butterfield was just the person to inject life into the bookstore.
That meant moving the store to her hometown of Sheboygan, where Butterfield, a former college English teacher, found a brighter spot to make a bigger impression. Butterfield opened the newly named Inklings Used Books on South Pier Drive in June. The shop sells books fewer than 10 years old, with the occasional first editions and rare titles when she finds them.
“I find real joy in books and people who like books,” she says. “That’s what I wanted to pass on.”
Butterfield runs Inklings, which is owned by her mother Lois Nyhuis. “It was extremely difficult,” Butterfield says, to convince her mother that relocating was a good idea. “She didn’t think we could succeed if we moved. I had to talk her into it.”
But after struggling with profitability in Plymouth and a fire that damaged part of the store, Butterfield was ready to make the move. “I just want to make our current shop better and profitable,” she says, noting she used Paycheck Protection Program loans and grants to help finance the venture.
In just a few months, Butterfield says business has been booming. “It’s extremely busy. I can barely keep up. (Inventory) turnover is so fast,” she says. “The only trouble is keeping books in stock.”With its noteworthy Mead Public Library, Bookworm Gardens and annual Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival (canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic), the city is a book lover’s destination. Two small bookstores closed in the city in the past few years, so Butterfield is confident the public is hungry for another cozy shop to hunt for favorites.
“My vision was to be a place where people find joy,” she says.
facebook.com/InklingsUsedBooks
