A CORNUCOPIA of 10,000 books greet you as you browse through the Affordable Bookstore located at 312 1/2 East 2nd Street in Dalles, Oregon 60 miles east of Portland. The bookstore, now two years old, is the brainchild of Genoveva Torqueza-Allan, 42, wife to Dan Allan, 39, a tugboat technician at the Tugwater Barge Shipping and Transport Lines, and mom to kids Calvin, 15, and Shirley, 9. A native of Abra, Ilocos Sur, Allan worked as a domestic helper in the mid-80s in Hong Kong where she met her husband. Passion for books Allan remembers as a child that she loved to read Nancy Drew mystery books while attending high school at the Heart of Mary High School in Abra, Ilocos Sur. "I did not imagine myself owning a bookstore but my instincts dictated that I should do it since my son who is now a sophomore in high school is a book lover and my daughter likes to read Laura Ingalls and now, Harry Potter." Knowledge of business Allan knows her business. She has developed her store as a meeting place for people. She knows that most of her women customers like the works of Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts, Jane Auel, and Janet Evanovich. "Women in this town love to talk and say 'hi'. The bookstore is their watering hole. I enjoy it too and it made my kids very outgoing since their peers come here to swap or buy books and discuss their reading assignments, too." Swapping means bartering your books and Allan values books based on their readable quality. If the book is in satisfactory condition and is not torn or dog-eared, she gives 25 US cents credit from its original value. If the book is in less satisfactory condition, she gives 10 US cents credit for each book. "I only charge a service fee of 10 US cents per book when they buy or swap. My book prices range from 50 US cents to half the actual price of a brand new book especially if they are in excellent hardbound cover," she explains. Apart from books, Allan also sells used VHS Tapes, brand new curios, sunglasses, ornamental gewgaws, necklaces and other hair accessories. She also has two computers for surfing over the Net. She charges about two dollars for 15 minutes or six dollars per hour of Internet use. Partner in business Her husband Dan also has a business called Columbia Gorge Computer LLC that is located in the back of her bookstore. "My husband loves to troubleshoot old computers as well as build computer systems. The client states the configuration and he customizes a computer depending on client's budget. The client can bring the parts and Dan will build them or he can do it-buy the parts, configure and build a wonder machine for them." Allan also puts some of her books up in ebay.com or at half.com and they sell out quickly. Allan says that whenever she could, she donates books to the library or to a secondhand thrift store. "I believe in karma and in making a difference in the lives of others especially in helping people get smart by means of reading a book." [First Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer Copyright (c) 2003 www.inq7.net] |
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