Dan Heitzenrater introduced our speaker, Bob Lingle, owner of the Good Neighbor Book Store in Lakewood. He is also the Chamber Director of Marketing and Communications. Bob is a father of three from Orchard Park and is both a SUNY Fredonia and St. Bonaventure graduate. A resident of Panama, Bob loves WrestleMania. After college, he worked in sales, which he did not enjoy, and then moved to a position at Barnes & Noble, where he met his wife. He went on to work at the Canisius College Bookstore and became manager of the Medaille College Bookstore.
Bob’s wife obtained a teaching job at Maple Grove School, and because childcare was expensive, he decided to become a stay-at-home father. The couple moved here, and after about a year and a half, they discovered that the bookstore in Lakewood was for sale. He took out a Small Business Loan to buy what is now the Good Neighbor Book Store on Chautauqua Avenue in Lakewood.
The store closed for three and a half months during COVID, and the business moved to the former Town of Busti Offices on Chautauqua Avenue. At one time, Bob took the Chamber position as it coincides with his passion for supporting small businesses. His wife took over the store, and they now have two employees.
Bob answered many questions after his program. The store is open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. This weekend is “Celebrating Independent Book Stores Weekend” and 26 other Western New York bookstores are joining Bob in specials in the stores. He said that Historical Fiction is the most popular book genre, and now romance books are very popular. He gives a 20% discount to book clubs that purchase books from his store.
Bob shared that his store is a “Mini Barnes and Noble,” trying to stock books appealing to everyone from children to adults. He has a website where you can order books, and he also uses social media. Every quarter, he reviews 7,000-8,000 book titles made available by publishers and decides which to stock. One member mentioned his podcasts interviewing specific authors. He stated that he is also aggressive in educating the public about the importance of small businesses.
The meeting adjourned with President Jones ringing the Rotary bell!
