Margaret Osondu readily stated that "some people laugh at us and say we're so naïve," when they hear about the campaign that Osondu, owner of Osondu Booksellers, Waynesville, N.C., has embarked on to get Oprah Winfrey to visit the town, learn about the value of independent booksellers and promote indies when she promotes books.

Still, Osondu said, "We have nothing to lose. And the campaign has attracted all kinds of people who see the sign and are curious and come in."

In just a few weeks, more than 300 people have filled out postcards on which they've been asked to write "a little something about independents and our store in particular," Osondu said. Osondu Booksellers, located in the mountains in far western North Carolina, is also encouraging a range of people and officials in the community to contribute their thoughts. By the end of July, Osondu hopes to send the material and other information about the store and Waynesville to Oprah.

The catalyst for the campaign was the July issue of O the Oprah Magazine, the "first-ever' summer reading issue with 64 recommended titles. On the cover, the magazine advertised "O's Amazon.com Deal Just For You," which consists of a 10% discount on 20 of the titles.

"I started talking about with our events coordinator, and it quickly became a big thing for me," Osondu said. "We thought of encouraging Oprah to put in a plug for independents. Then we thought we could go see Oprah. Then I decided, 'Let's have Oprah come to Waynesville.'

"I have it all planned," Osondu went on, sounding as if she would not be surprised to be rejected by the TV diva but is having fun, making a major point or two and getting some local attention in the meantime. "We have a nice place to stay, a beautiful inn. I've got a personal chef lined up for her. She could do a signing of her own."

The idea, Osondu continued, would be for Oprah to see that an independent can be a vital part of the community. For one, as she put it, "We sell a lot of local history and regional authors. People come to us looking for that." She cited the many tourists who visit and have "preconceived notions of what goes on in the North Carolina mountains. Then they see our store and our books and begin to learn more. Unless you knew exactly what you were looking for, you would not have that experience looking on Amazon."

Eventually, Osondu hopes, when recommending books, Oprah will say, "Visit the independent bookstore in your town to see these books!"
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Osondu Booksellers has about 1,500 square feet of selling space and is in downtown Waynesville, which is a vacation and resort spot about 25 miles west of Asheville, where "tourists stop on the way to the Great Smoky Mountains State Park." The town has a year-round population of 9,000 that swells to 14,000 in the warmer months. There are cafes, fine food and 13 art galleries on Main Street.

The two-year-old store sold some 15,000 books its first year and specializes in local, regional, literary, current events, hiking, children's books and maps. It also has a conscious living section with health, spiritual and inspirational titles. There's a wagon full of toys for children to play with as well as rocking chairs, a sofa and "a couple of cozy chairs."

The store serves some 11 book clubs in town, keeping their books on display. On August 5, the store will put on its second annual author festival, which will feature 52 authors.

A psychotherapist in Boston for 15 years with a master's degree in pastoral counseling, Osondu has been a bookseller for just two years, an experience she described as "fabulous." There have been "challenges, and learning the trade has been fun and slow at times for me," she continued. "Probably because of my therapy background, it's easy for me to work with people. I enjoy the people part of the business and I've been a voracious reader all of my life." She called working in a bookstore "very personal. You learn what people like to read, what they want to know more about, when they need a fluff book."

Some regular aspects of the job give her great joy. Osondu said she loves receiving books she's ordered. "Even though I know I ordered them, they still feel like a surprise. I go through them and say, 'I'm glad I ordered that!' " She also enjoys long-range planning but hates to return books. As a result, when titles get stale, she discounts them. "Customers appreciate it because they get a bargain, and I'm happy because I didn't have to pack it up and return it."

Although Osondu is relatively new to bookselling, the art of book retailing runs in the family. When she opened her store, Osondu received some of best training from her daughter, Amanda Lydon, who worked at several Lauriat's stores in the Boston area. For a year, Lydon helped out in the store doing mom training, then moved back to New York and is now manager of Good Yarns Bookshop in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Osondu Booksellers is located at 184 North Main St., Waynesville, N.C. 28786; 828-456-8062; osondubooksellers.com.