Newspaper Page Text
MICHAEL HALL
ship. Because, he saps, he is not merely opening a new sieve
downtown. Yes, Tonge has given Athens a new heetame.
But he is trying for something more. Ht is hoping to cm-
ate a home when organizations, hook dubs. famttfcs and
friends can come* sit in the living mom space and mgey their
surroundings.
"The 'third space,' that's what it's caUed. You have home,
and you haws work, and you need that thhd place to ga, tdk,
meet with people and he comfortable, that's a special place
to oeate. and I hope that people fled that have. An4 Mama
ally, ru even get cofloe in ham" fonfi says, neddhtp to hie
DoS Car Dodd
Taking a Page from Madison
yes wide and hands by his side, two-year-old Junot
Schlanger toddles his way through the narrow hallway
into the back room of Oog Ear Books. Looking around
'him at shelf after shelf of bound, written words, the
little, brown-haired boy seems almost overwhelmed with the
abundance of materials that looms tall over his tiny Dody.
"Yeah, that's a lot of books," he says, awe in his voice.
Beside him, his mother Chris Cumo agrees. "It sure is, buddy."
That is precisely the reaction Dog Ear Books owner Jon
Tonge was hoping to get from his new customer base here in
Athens. During his grand opening, three-day party held Oct.
21-24, droves of new and loyal (his original store was in
Madison) Dog Ear customers have come out to meet him, his
guest authors and the musicians on hand to entertain, includ
ing Ken Will Morton, Betsy Franck and Adam Payne.
Award-winning author Tarry Ray
Sitting in the front of the store on the first night of fes
tivities, signing copies of his books and meeting with fans,
award-winning author and Georgia native Terry Kay raves about
Athens' newest bookstore.
"I think I need to give this place... what do you young
kids call it? A shout out* Kay says, smiling through his scruffy
white beard. "Now, I don't know exactly what that means, but I
know it's a good thing and I know this place deserves ft. Those
big-box bookstores have all but brought the small book busi
ness to its knees. We need more locally owned bookstores. We
just do. And now, voila! Athens has one."
In relocating his shop from Madison to the Classic City;
Tonge is seeking to ftU this gap in the local reading scene.
Although Athens has a few used bookstores and a share of
mainstream bargain book houses, there is no truly local, new
and used bookstore, Tonge says.
"There needs to be an independent locally owned book
store here," Tonge says, "like a lot of people in Athens, I've
always been an avid reader, and I have always been a sup
porter of local operations. I'm surprised this hasn't been done
downtown before {and remained in business). But I am glad I
get to be the guy that does it"
For Tonga, though, taking on the role of business owner
wasn't exactly his plan. A man of words, he graduated from
the University of Gemot* with a journalism degree and worked
as a reporter for several years. After meeting his now wife,
Tonga wart ime the business realm, but quickly realized he
wasOftf
"My brother is an accountant so he helps me with all that
stuff. And I love books and being around people all day. I don't
know. It all just worked out."
It certainly appears that way. Walking into Dog Ear, there
is a pop, a sense of something. Something slightly intangible
that goes along with the whole locally owned bookstore ideal.
Maybe it's the smell of new and used books, of printed words
on fine pages. Maybe it's that lovely, quiet buzz—louder than
a library hum but softer than a coffeehouse—that goes along
with rummaging through shelves to find the perfect reader.
Maybe it's the general idea of staying local, of supporting
only h business owner but a friend. Whatever it is. Dog Ear
it.
Tonge seems to understand what it is that people
local business owner: they want a neighbor, a trusted member
nf the community, a service
provider who, well, provides
a service. Tonge
he delivers it
That much is
the hyper-loyal
following Tonge has gained
since taking over the busi
ness there three years ago.
Jenny Edwards, a
Madison resident followed
Dog Ear to Athens for the
grand-opening events. For
years, she has been an avid
Dog Ear Books shopper at
its original Madison loca
tion, but when she heard
the news that her favorite
bookstore was heading to a
larger market she needed
to see how—if at all—the
store would change. To
her pleasure, the shop has
held on to its character
and charm, despite its new
locale.
"I love it here,* says
a librarian, so books are my business. And this
is one of my favorite bookstores of all time. They always just
have all you need. Athens is lucky to have it"
Already, that same sense of appreciation is developing in
Tonge's new Athens crowd. Roaming the shelves of the "malum
and experienced" (AKA used) book section, shopper Drew
Weing notes the extensive and impressive collection of the
store.
"I am really surprised by how far back this place goes,"
Weing sayi. "It's got a lot mote than I expected. I just kinda
came in on a whim, and I have found a lot of gmit stuff. A lot
of great stuff that isn't as pricey as other bookstores, too. HI
be back."
During his ttuee-day i
duced Athens to what be