Starting in September, The Corner Shelf will no longer be at its physical location but will operate through a Web site. BEN FREDMAN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

NOT A SURFER? Culpeper bookstore opens new chapter

87-year-old owner of Culpeper bookstore closing physical shop, but will continue business online

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

Date published: 8/17/2008

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

Gordon Dickerson wants to make one thing clear about his Culpeper bookstore.

"The Corner Shelf is not closing. We're just changing our format," Dickerson says.

This comes as good news to those who have shopped at Culpeper's only complete bookstore for the past 32 years.

The bad news is that after this month, they will no longer be able to visit the little shop just off James Madison Highway.

A sour economy, mega-bookstores in neighboring towns and Internet retailers such as Amazon.com have finally caught up with The Corner Shelf. Beginning in September, if you want to buy a book from The Corner Shelf, you'll have to get it from the store's Web site: corner shelfbookstore.com.

"We're not real happy about making this change, but we're being forced into it," the 87-year-old Dickerson says.

As the economy has begun to shrink in the past four years, so has the customer base for Dickerson and his daughter/partner Faith.

"It hasn't been like an ocean wave, but more like a drip," he says.

Not wanting to give up the business, the Dickersons pondered ways of saving it. They eventually came up with the Internet idea.

"We'll have a vastly expanded Web site," says Dickerson.

He will keep an inventory of top sellers and local books at his McCoy Avenue home and has come up with a working arrangement with his wholesaler to get anything he doesn't have in stock.

"If you want to send a book to Aunt Martha in Kentucky, we can have it shipped directly to her from our supplier," Dickerson says. "That will save the customer time and unnecessary postage."

Dickerson, a World War II Seabees veteran, came to Culpeper with the Federal Reserve Bank about 1970 and took an early retirement in 1976. It was then that he and Faith, who had graduated from Culpeper High that year, decided to go into the bookstore business.

The Corner Shelf was supposed to open in the refurbished White Shop Building at the corner of Main and Davis streets. But when that wasn't ready in August, the store began operation in a renovated motel room behind McDonald's.

The business moved into the White Shop Building early that same December and stayed there until downtown Culpeper all but died in 1989.

Those who don't like to shop online will be able to call Gordon Dickerson using the same telephone number the shop has had since it opened in August 1976: 540/825-4411. And customers will have three options for receiving their books. Dickerson says he will mail them to whatever address you want (postage will apply, of course) or you can prepay and the books will be left at the Raven's Nest Coffee Shop on East Davis Street. Dickerson has even worked out an arrangement with the Raven's Nest's owner to hold author book-signings at the coffee shop. The business will still deliver large orders to institutional customers.

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Date published: 8/17/2008