Chuck Carlson

Battle Creek Enquirer

In the empty 2,000 square foot space that will soon be his new bookstore, Jim Donahue’s imagination runs wild.

He points over there to where the children’s section will be. Over there? That’s for used books. And in that spot, he’ll feature local artists and authors.

The New York City native sees it all so clearly, from the oak shelving he’s already ordered from Vermont to the thousands of books he already has in inventory.

And he sees Battle Creek recapturing a part of its history that his lost for so long.

“We don’t have any independent bookstores downtown and that’s not right,” he said. “We have enough people here to support one.”

So the retired doctor, who moved to Battle Creek in 2007 to work at the Veterans Affairs hospital as a geriatric specialist, is planning to fill that void.

“I’m 57 and I’m young enough and healthy enough to take on another project,” he said. “I’ve had a good career and it’s time to do something else.”

So, with the help of Battle Creek Unlimited’s new retail acceleration program, Donahue is opening Battle Creek Books at 51 W. Michigan Ave., tucked next to the Kellogg Community Credit Union in what, most recently, was the kitchen area of the old Gary Fields Comedy Club.

The BCU program, of which Donahue was the first applicant, provides rental assistance for a new business owner in hopes of spurring growth in downtown Battle Creek.

“We’re encouraging people to make the right business choices,” said Rob Peterson, BCU’s downtown development director.

Donahue presented his business plan that was reviewed by a committee from the Downtown Partnership. Donahue has also agreed to hold retail hours as well as weekend and some evening hours and will work accept advice and direction from of a local business mentor still to be named.

Peterson said Donahue’s plan was intriguing and a good fit for downtown.

“He has an excellent plan,” Peterson said. “The committee that reviewed it was very tough on him and he came back and answered their concerns. He has reasonable expectations.”

And those expectations include bringing what Donahue is convinced is a large reading public back downtown to dive back into books.

“When I was kid in Brooklyn, we walked all over New York looking at the bookstores,” he said. “Now we’re working to do that here. People who like books and take care of them want to read. They’re nice people.”

He also believes a bookstore will spark interest in reading, especially among schoolkids where he says reading scores are too low.

Donahue has an architect and contractor ready to go and hopes to open his bookstore Feb. 1.

Donahue and his wife Ginny hatched their plan eight months ago and approached BCU shortly after that.

And while his goal is admirable, he also knows the reality of bookstores in the country, many of which have failed because of large box stores and the Internet.

But he’s undaunted.

“Independent bookstores are actually doing OK,” he said. “They’re making a go of it.”

And Peterson thinks it has a future too.

It’s a national trend,” he said. “People are returning to downtown businesses because of the experience. People aren’t going to buy everything at small businesses necessarily, but there’s sure a growing market. And I think a bookstore is what every downtown dreams of having. Everyone likes to walk into a bookstore. You never know what you’re going to find.”

Chuck Carlson is editor of Connections. Reach him at 966-0690. Follow him on Twitter: @ChuckCarlson4