Book Ends Book Store in Kearney, NE: A Must See

"I don't know any way to pass on the love of reading to people other than to get them reading," said Ed Stevens, owner along with his wife Diane of the used bookstore BOOK ENDS, 8 West 23rd street, downtown Kearney, Nebraska. "I just think a book sitting on a shelf is a sad thing. We need to get them moving around."

Stevens began the Kearney bookstore after retiring as a medical technician from Good Samaritan Hospital where he worked since 1961. Though he contracted polio as a child, he never let it stop him from fulfilling his dreams. He didn't even let it slow him down until hit with post polio syndrome. However, he found retirement not to his liking.

He'd always been a reader and loved books. In fact, he had some 3-4000 thousand books in his basement. He also thought about his dream of opening up a bookstore.

Diane said, "I think it's something he always thought would be fun to do. I always thought it would be fun to have a bookstore, too. It just kind of evolved into this. We keep getting more and more bookshelves because we keep getting more and more books. It's lots of fun."

In his first Kearney location, Ed Stevens said that the demand was so overwhelming, he had to find a larger place. "I got very busy, very quickly." When they found their present location, his wife and daughter gave it the feel of a home library. About those who visit his bookstore, Ed Stevens said, "I don't care if they buy something. They can pull a book off the shelf and sit down and read it right here. I have no problem with that."

Ed Stevens has only a few rules for his bookstore. "We keep the prices down, and there's a certain type of book we don't have in here. We don't carry anything that is X-rated or beyond what's in a normal best seller. We try to sell books inexpensively and offer a good selection.

"It's been an education because the things I thought would be popular are way down on the list. Our biggest sellers are classics-mainly purchased by college and high school students. Our second best seller is probably the local interest, Nebraska history and Nebraska authors. Our third best seller is Christian -Christian romance, biographies, concordances, etc. We had almost none of that when we started. Now we look for it and stock it.

"We get a fairly wide cross section of customers in the bookstore. There are people that go from town to town looking for little antique shops and bookstores. I also have customers who come in every week. Repeat customers I didn't figure on either.

"Children's books have been very good. (However,) the vast majority goes to collectors. People will come in and that's the first thing they'll go to. I also do an awful lot of book ordering. I do 20-30 special orders a week, and I don't charge (other than shipping and sales tax) to do it because that gets people coming in and out of here."

As for his own book reading preferences. "I read almost anything except romance, though I limit my fiction reading. If I don't, I don't get anything else done. I try to read things that are a little more challenging. I'm huge into the Civil War. I like biography. Also like hard science.

"Right now this bookstore is something I want to do." Ed says he enjoys the challenge and the customers who come through his door. He likes encouraging people to read. Book Ends is well on its way to becoming a "must see" in Kearney.