Betsy Burton has taken the concept of being close to the customer to a glorious level of intimacy. The King’s English Bookshop has found fun and deeply meaningful ways to touch the souls of its customers. Meeting practical needs isn’t the goal here—Betsy’s work is all about the heart, the emotions, the invisible parts of us that have a yearning. Be it a thirst for knowledge, a desire for romance, or the healing of an open wound, Betsy, her staff, and her many author friends offer care and an open ear. Nothing brings her more satisfaction and joy than successfully building a bridge from a customer to a good book!

Says Betsy: “Contortionists one and all, we [independent booksellers] delight in climbing into other people’s skins or clothes or shoes in order to walk a mile or two along another’s path. We question them and listen carefully to the replies, intent on deciphering what they want. The real pleasure in bookselling comes in pairing the right book with the right person. That’s what drives us as we look, listen, assess, ask questions until—bingo!—we come up with a match.”

And it must be a match from the customer’s point of view. Betsy aims to give customers what they want, not what she thinks they should want. When this happens, she’s found it can change lives.

The inspiration for the King’s English Book Shop came about during conversations between Betsy and her good friend, Ann Berman, about what their own bookstore might look like. The more they talked, the more excited they became about their concept, and before long they found themselves opening the doors of their new business.

In the early days, they would talk with customers 40 to 60 hours a week, take boxes home and unpack them, check packing lists, haul everything back to the store, and pay bills. And after doing all the work necessary to keep the business moving forward, they’d stay up nights reading every book they could.

A bench where customers would sit and talk with Betsy or Ann became known as the confessional bench. Here people would share their tales of tough divorces and betrayals, deaths, and other deep sorrows. Betsy and Ann recommended books that soothed people’s souls and helped create customers for life.

Very early on, Betsy saw the importance of working in the community to promote good literature and, in particular, to introduce new authors to her customers. She believed that she could generate enthusiasm for books by partnering with customers on a variety of community events. To that end, Betsy has hosted public presentations and book signings featuring famous and not-so-famous authors. Other community activities that represent partnerships with customers to enliven the community include

• Creating the Writers Advocacy Award for those promoting literacy in the community

• Partnering with Westminster College in a three-day symposium featuring a prominent poet or fiction writer

• Supporting a University of Utah science and literature series to open up an interdisciplinary conversation

• Organizing a wide variety of book clubs for adults

• Serving on the Salt Lake City Book Club Committee, which encourages people to join book clubs and runs an annual book festival

• Supporting the Books Behind Bars literacy program (run by a nonprofit organization founded by a local judge) for inmates in the city jail

Many neighborhood children stop by the store after school because it’s a safe place to spend time and read. Betsy knows that the future of books resides with the children, so she brings in popular authors such as Lemony Snicket to encourage them to experience the magic and wonder of books. The King’s English does much to encourage children to read, including

• Offering a children’s story hour every week

• Organizing kids' reading clubs complete with games and prizes

• Hosting nights at the bookshop for teachers and librarians, giving them discounts, and handing out possible curricula for classes

The King’s English has become much more than a place to pick up a book. It is an empowering community resource as well as a community within a community. The feeling of connection and partnership that customers have has enabled Betsy and her small independent bookstore to thrive in an industry that is dominated by big-box stores and online sellers.

Betsy also understands that her business success isn’t strictly about growing market share in the face of intense competition. It’s about creating more customers for literature. For this reason she has immersed herself in the bookselling industry both nationally and locally. As a result, all the leading independent Utah bookstores now work as partners to bring authors to the area, trade books, and offer mutual support.

From Growing Local Value, by Laury Hammel and Gun Denhart, Berrett-Koehler, 2007.