Here’s the feel-good backstory of downtown Plymouth’s new bookstore
Melissa Schabel stands inside the recently-opened Elephant Ears Books in downtown Plymouth.
Here’s some awesome non-fiction news for Plymouth-area people who love to read: Former librarian and life-long book-lover Melissa Schabel has opened a bookstore in downtown Plymouth, fulfilling a dream she’s embraced for over a decade.
Located at 449 S. Harvey St., Elephant Ear Books opened for business Saturday, Nov. 16, in a space formerly occupied by a spa.
A resident of New Jersey before moving to southeast Michigan four years ago, Schabel is following a dream like so many of the main characters in the wide variety of books that are for sale in her first-ever business-ownership adventure.
Her against-the-grain story is inspiring considering community bookstores across the country are closing at an all-too-swift rate.
“I’m a life-long reader — a lot of fiction, but I read non-fiction, memoirs, biographies … everything really — and a librarian by training, so this is a perfect step for me to take,” said Schabel, as she put the finishing organizational touches on her store on the eve of its opening.
“My store offers a wide variety of books — from popular, just-released novels to children’s books, cookbooks and non-fiction.
“Walking into a local bookstore like this is so different than walking into a large, national brand bookstore because people can make connections in here. I’m looking forward to meeting members of the community and having conversations with them about what books they’d like to see stocked on my shelves.”
Bringing dream to fruition
A resident of Saline, Schabel said she started putting the wheels in motion for Elephant Ear Books approximately six months ago.
“It’s something I’ve been considering for close to a decade,” she said, “but it wasn’t until earlier this year that I had the time and means to develop it.
“When I started considering which community I wanted to open in, it was clear early on during my search that Plymouth was a perfect place. It has a New England vibe, which I love; and the downtown is vibrant and it hosts a lot of events.”
In addition to books, Schabel will sell greeting cards she makes by hand.
“Each card takes me anywhere from 15 minutes to two days to create,” she said.
Story behind the name
Schabel chose the name for a variety of reasons, the most notable being she loves elephants.
The business’s logo was designed by the 15-year-old graphic-design-loving daughter of a friend.
“I gave her a few ideas, and I loved what she came up with,” Schabel said.
Schabel aspires to eventually organize book clubs and host authors.
“There isn’t a ton of space in here for those types of things, but I plan on reaching out to local restaurants to collaborate with me for the clubs,” she said. “And I think it would be great to host an author event at the Penn Theater.”
A labor of love
Schabel said the process of opening her own bookstore has been equal parts excitement and exhaustion.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said, smiling. “I’m really looking forward to having conversations with people like me who love books.
“There’s nothing quite like a good book in terms of bringing people together.”
Elephant Ear Books will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@hometownlife.com.
