2017 Decatur Book Festival: The Little Shop Of Stories Q&A

DECATUR, GA -- The city of Decatur is set to be the center of the literature-loving universe this week as the Decatur Book Festival, the largest independent book festival in the United States kicks off in a matter of day. A number of local imprints are involved this year, including children's bookstore Little Shop of Stories, a longtime stronghold in Decatur.

Here's the schedule for the 2017 AJC Decatur Book Festival

Little Shop of Stories, located in the Square at 133 E Court Square # A, in Decatur, is a partner of the festival. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

With the festival approaching, Patch recently interviewed the owners of the Little Shop of Stories and talked to them about books, famous authors and more. Below is an edited version in Q&A form.

LSoS has been a fixture in Decatur for year. When did the book store begin?

Diane Capriola and Dave Shallenberger began LSoS back in 2005 at another location on the other side of the Decatur Square, where the Waffle House is now. In 2008 they moved to the current location, and expanded the space last fall.

• Who is the most famous person to have visited?

I think this depends on what you mean by famous! Celebrity authors have visited-- from Julie Andrews, to Andrew McCarthy, to BJ Novak, to Chelsea Clinton-- but the visitors that really draw attention are the giants of kidlit-- people like Neil Gaiman, John Green, Veronica Roth, Dav Pilkey, Mo Willems, and Marc Brown. The illustrators who've visited have made illustrations for us that we've framed and hung on the wall over checkout, and these make for a pretty spectacular who's who of picture book illustrators.

• The book reading demographic were stereotyped as nerds 20-30 years ago. With the rise of personal computers, has that stereotype changed any?

What's changed this the most is the popularity of kids books themselves, starting with Harry Potter. Today's young adults grew up on JK Rowling's books, enjoyed them with their peers in a way that was different for Gen X parents or Baby Boomer parents. These people are now parents, teachers, librarians, coaches -- particularly here in Decatur, we have a whole community that values books and reading, and that creates a culture in which books and the stories they tell are an everyday part of kids' lives.

• With the advent of digital technology, people said book stories and libraries wouldn't be here. Yet, they are both here and pretty strong. Any thoughts on that?

"Lots of people who study culture and markets and technology have a variety of arguments about this that are probably much more articulate than anything we have to say. However, the American Booksellers Association has tracked more independent bookstores opening in the past decade than in any other decade since they began tracking this statistic."

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"In addition to what I said above about generational shifts toward valuing books and reading, I think there are communal shifts away from big brand stores and toward community businesses and institutions -- the whole shop local movement. Libraries and bookstores form great anchors for community activities and gatherings, something that technology can supplement, unquestionably, but not supplant."

Read more: Patch Q&A with Decatur Book Festival co-founder Daren Wang

In addition to being a community steward, The Little Shop of Stories has partnered with Decatur schools and the Decatur Education Foundation in a campaign to send authors and providing book fairs to area schools.

Festival organizers are expected more than 80,000 people at the event, which runs from Sept. 1-3 in downtown Decatur.

Cant make it to Decatur? Check out the Little Shop of Stories online.

Image via Craig Johnson / Patch