Logos Bookstore Turns Page on Four Decades
Nestled among Snider Plaza’s restaurants and boutiques stands Logos Bookstore, a small shop with a surprisingly large inventory (more than 11,000 titles) and a rich history.
Chuck and Lois Schechner opened Logos in July 1974 and asked current owner Rick Lewis to work with them a few years later, in 1980. Eventually he and his wife, Susan, purchased the store when the Schechners wanted to retire.
Much like his investment in the store, Rick’s love for reading goes way back. His aunt gave him The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for Christmas when he was just a preteen. It took a little bribery, but eventually he came around.
“Being so socially skilled, I said, ‘oh, a book. You’ve got to be kidding me,’ which totally embarrassed my mom,” said Lewis. “She said, ‘well, you’ll read this or you won’t get anything else for Christmas.’ I read it and fell in love with reading.”
Now Lewis has a list of “40 great reads to feed the heart and mind,” and if you ask him which are his favorites, he’ll have trouble deciding. Logos’ mission is to provide books that are specific to customers’ current interests, whatever they may be.
“The way we look at it, everyone comes in with a need,” he said. “It could just be entertainment; they want a fun novel, or a book on friendship to give away. Or we have folks come in who have friends who have suffered a loss, and they want a book that’s going to help them through their grief, so it’s across the board.”
The store’s inventory focuses on Christian literature, but not exclusively. There is a rather large children’s section in the back of the store, about half of which is filled with non-Christian books.
“With the demise of so many of the good children’s bookstores in town, we’ve got a great selection,” said Lewis. “You can’t have a good children’s section without Curious George or Amelia Bedelia.”
The Lewises are grateful to the community, and they encourage customers to come in and get their advice, rather than buying online or from a larger corporate retailer.
“You get our expertise. We know the books,” said Lewis. “So often you buy online and it’s a guess as to what the content might be or if it’s any good. We can help folks get the right one.”
Logos is celebrating its 40th anniversary all month long with storewide sales and raffles for books and other prizes, including a giant Melissa & Doug stuffed giraffe, which they’re calling a “giraffe.”
The owners are excited about this anniversary, but it isn’t the only one they’re celebrating. The couple was married 40 years ago on Sept. 28, just a few months after the opening of the store.
They’re thinking of celebrating by visiting their children in France. But first, they want to thank the community for keeping Logos alive for four decades.
