November 7, 2007

A New Chapter in Downtown Delaware

Linda Diamond (left) and Melinda Corroto will open Beehive Books, 25 N. Sandusky St., on Friday, November 9. The store will feature between 6,000 and 7,000 books, along with magazines, CDs, gifts, and an espresso bar.

Located at 25 N. Sandusky St., the store will feature between 6,000 and 7,000 books, as well as a generous selection of magazines, newspapers, CDs, and unique gift items. Beehive Books also will contain an espresso bar, offering both hot and cold beverages.

“We will have fiction and non-fiction books on a lot of subjects,” promises co-owner Melinda Corroto, a Delaware resident who spent nearly nine years working for a national bookstore chain. “We’ll have mystery and science fiction, and a lot more. We want to focus on the interests of the community.”

That community focus means Beehive Books will carry titles on everything from horses and harness racing to bicycling and baking, Corroto says.

“We won’t have 50 copies of the same book title,” she says. “Instead we will have 50 titles (and more) of great books.”

To invite customers to relax and browse, the 2,700-square-foot store will feature plenty of soft seating and café tables, where people can enjoy beverages, pastries, yogurt, and fruit as they check out all Beehive Books has to offer. The store also will offer free wireless Internet access to those who bring their own laptop computers.

“This is a place for people to get away, relax, and enjoy,” says co-owner Linda Diamond, a downtown Delaware real-estate developer and former elementary school teacher.

In keeping with its name, Diamond says, Beehive Books will sell locally produced honey among its many gift items. Other gift items will include honey dippers, teapots, coffeepots, and tote bags.

In a twist on the traditional bookstore format, Beehive Books will locate all topic-related merchandise in one location. For example, Diamond says, both books and magazines about health and fitness will be grouped together. This will ensure that visitors see every option as they browse.

But if shoppers don’t find exactly what they want, Corroto adds, Beehive Books will be happy to special order items.

“We think this will be a great service,” Corroto says, “because people will be able to come in and take a look at an item without being obligated to buy it. And if it’s not what they expected, they won’t have to go through a return process.”

A member of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), Beehive Books also will sell “Book Sense” gift cards that may be redeemed at the Delaware store or at any participating ABA-affiliated store nationwide.

Corroto and Diamond say they chose the name Beehive Books because they wanted something that sounded familiar yet fresh all at once. Their inspiration was the faint remnant of the words “Bee Hive” painted on the brick wall across from Delaware City Hall and above Mean Bean Caffeine Lounge at 2 N. Sandusky St.

The sign once touted a downtown restaurant, Corroto says. “We liked the connection to something in downtown Delaware,” she says. “It’s a little familiar-sounding and comforting.”

The store’s location also has historic ties to reading; prior to Beehive Books it housed a news stand. Since that time, the building has been completely refurbished. It now features a two-story entrance with exposed brick walls. Deeper inside, the store is painted a soothing, deep blue-green. It also boasts a new sound system that will feature soft jazz music. The rear of the building has been renovated, too, to make it more bright and appealing to shoppers.

Although Beehive Books hasn’t officially opened its doors, Corroto and Diamond already have been talking to local book clubs and authors about potential meetings, readings, and book signings.

“We really want to be a part of the community,” Corroto says, adding that she would welcome discussions with Ohio Wesleyan University students and staff who have program ideas. “We believe there is so much potential here. We’re excited and ready to go.”

Beehive Books will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. During the holidays, special hours may be added.

– Cole Hatcher