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Old Tampa Book Co. Is Chugging Along

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By JANIS D. FROELICH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 10, 2007

TAMPA - As a child in the 1940s, trains were an integral part of Ellen Brown's life. She lived in a small town in the Catskills, so the comings and goings of the passenger trains appealed to her childhood curiosity.

"The trains really defined rural life," Brown said. "And then there was World War II where we all gathered at the train station for the soldiers."

Now she and her husband, David, stand among 400 or so books about trains as the couple begin the first theme sale at their store, Old Tampa Book Co., 507 N. Tampa St.

"Christmas and trains - it's a natural tie-in," Ellen Brown said.

Old Tampa Book plans to offer 20 percent off the train books, including a $10 copy of "North American Railroads" and $50 for "The Circus Moves by Rail."

Most of the books came from two individual collections the store bought.

In addition to trains, Brown loves books, but she quickly separates her interest from her husband's: "He collects and I read."

The train promotion will continue through the holidays and then the couple will decide on another theme. Some suggestions include aviation, boats and Florida-based books.

It's not as if they will run out of options: Old Tampa Book has 40,000-plus books.

Business Has Shifted To Internet

About half of their sales are online, but when they began 13 years ago, they had little but a 3,000-book collection and a big belief in downtown retail.

Ellen Brown had retired after 23 years as an art gallery owner and David Brown after 28 years at Xerox. They moved to South Tampa from Rochester, N.Y., dreaming of becoming involved in their community. (Last week, Old Tampa Book won an Urban Excellence Award from the Tampa Downtown Partnership.)

When they began their business, there was heavier foot traffic from office workers, Ellen Brown said. As downtown's fortunes changed, the Browns slowly moved much of their business to the Internet.

Ellen Brown says the best way to experience Old Tampa Book is to come in and browse.

A gregarious woman, she quizzed a recent buyer about why he selected a book about the Mexican railroad that was displayed in the front window.

He ended up telling her an emotional story about how he rode the railroad as a child and wanted to share the experience with his children via the book.

Brown said she's always curious about why people buy their vintage, usually out-of-print volumes.

"I know there's a story there," she said, "usually from childhood."

The Browns get referrals from Internet retailers such as Amazon.com. She said they don't use online bidding because "David very carefully assigns a value based on condition and rarity. He knows what he's doing."

They ship all over the world. About 10,000 books from Old Tampa Book are in computerized listings but Brown said the process of keeping track of all the volumes can't keep pace with her husband's acquiring habit.

Searching For The Perfect Read

Quiet and reserved, David Brown said he has been a book collector all his life. Limited edition, rare, or just plain favorite subjects or authors, Brown, president of the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association, can't get enough of good books.

But he has scaled back the books he keeps at home.

"I gave up collecting," he said of limiting his private collection to books about Oceania, islands in the South Pacific where the couple like to travel.

His wife agrees their stash at home has gone way down. But they both still search for the perfect bedside read.

Sometimes that search ends at Old Tampa Book.

"Often when I'm at the store," Ellen Brown said, "I'm thinking, 'I can't believe I'm selling this book! I haven't read it yet.'"

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Old Tampa Book Co.

WHERE: 507 N. Tampa St.

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

CALL: (813) 209-2151

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.

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