Book Corner offers unique reading materials since 1964

When The Book Corner first opened in December 1964, Margaret Spannuth-Taylor worked the cash register. She was seven years old.

Now 66, Spannuth-Taylor owns and works at the book shop, which has been family owned since the beginning. The Book Corner is at the intersection of Walnut and Kirkwood.

“I love selling books,” Spannuth-Taylor said as she walked around the store helping a local artist.

Bookshelves line the walls, jut into the room and stand at angles, creating avenues for readers to explore.

The Book Corner’s predecessor, The Book Nook, opened in 1949 as the first bookstore in Bloomington.

“We were similar to a Borders or Barnes & Noble,” Spannuth-Taylor said. “Word of mouth has been and is still the best way to let people know about us. Book people will look for bookstores wherever they are.”

Like most bookstores, The Book Corner boasts a large selection of other products, such as magazines and newspapers. The Book Corner was the first U.S. bookstore to carry Dover math and science books.

“The original owner used to drive all the way to Chicago — really early in the morning — to pick up the New York Times,” said R.E. Paris, The Book Corner’s book buyer. “People used to stand in a line out the door and around the corner waiting to buy their morning paper.”

The people that stand outside today are generally local artists selling wares or playing  instruments.

“I am a regular customer here,” said Saranya Kalaiselvan, a student at the Maurer School of Law. “It’s personal, in the choice.”

Apart from carrying various journals, both by local artists and famed writers, the store sports two shelves of nothing but Penguin books.

“We have very loyal, very pleasant customers,” Spannuth-Taylor said. “We also have new customers come in all the time. I believe we’ve been in business so long because of our customer service.”