Used-Book Store Owner Hopes To Trade One Dream For Another

It was his dream for a dozen years, but now he wants to pass it on to someone else.

A former teacher turned book store owner, Larry Mann hopes to sell his store so he can go teach English abroad.

Mann opened Ponderosa Books at N1310 Mullan Road in July 1993.

Mann, who grew up in the Valley, had taught high school English in California and Ilwaco, Wash.

But for 12 years, he had envisioned opening his own book store.

Mann and his father built all the pine and alder shelves for the store. He stocked those shelves with 6,000 books purchased at garage sales and rummage sales. The store now carries about twice that many books.

At Ponderosa Books, sandwiched between Little Caesar’s Pizza and Honeywell Inc., Mann sells books for half the original cover price or less.

Customers who want to trade books can receive credit for 25 percent of the cover price for paperbacks and half the selling price for hardbacks.

Mann is always trying new ways to improve the used book store.

Last fall, he started renting new bestseller hardbacks for $3 a week.

“It’s been a good concept,” he said of the idea he borrowed from another local book store.

“Hardbacks are really expensive,” Mann said. “A lot of people just want the chance to read them, they don’t care about owning them forever and ever.”

He also created his own line of bookmarks called Quotation Mark, which list famous quotes from writers such as Shakespeare.

The lumber in the back of the store is evidence that he had planned to expand eventually.

He sells cold drinks in the summer and wanted to add an espresso machine.

White tables are set up in the store to encourage customers to sit down. In fact, a sign on the door says, “Browsers Welcome.”

“We try to emphasize friendly service,” he said.

The store is basically a one-man show. His working hours are the hours the store is open.

“I like working in a book store,” Mann said, “but it’s too sedate at times.”

He’s excited about the prospects of teaching English as a second language to students in Asia or Europe.

Mann said that he missed teaching more than he thought he would.

Ponderosa Books is “not that profitable now,” he said, “but it can be.”

“What I’ve done here is put a good foundation,” he said.

“A lot of people have a dream of owning a book store.”

The store has been for sale for $12,500 for about six months, said Kathleen Paris of Nancy Koron Realtors, who is handling the sale.

“Whoever buys it can get a free course in being a book seller,” Mann said. “I’ll be happy to share all I know.”