A storefront window display at Books on Central promotes an upcoming holiday reading. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
THE CADENCE AND RHYTHM of a book read aloud or a story told appeals to me. It’s as if the words become living, breathing characters, the setting vivid real-life scenes. Such is the power of the voice in interpreting words.
Wednesday evening, December 17, at 6 pm, two skilled local storytellers, Sam Temple and Tami Resler, will share their talents during a literary event at Books on Central in the heart of downtown Faribault. Holiday stories will focus their storytelling in the cozy bookshop centered by a chandelier inside a former jewelry store.
But the gems for the evening will be the stories that are sure to sparkle with the skills of Temple and Resler. I know both storytellers. They are genuinely kind, caring, joyful individuals who add much to our community.
Sam Temple, as Alexander Faribault, shares local and Minnesota history during the Riverside Rendezvous and History Festival in Faribault earlier this year. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2025)
Temple, who heads Steamboat Media Company and manages Northfield Public Broadcasting, is big into local history. He’s created documentaries about Faribault history with fellow creative Logan Ledman. He’s portrayed town founder, Alexander Faribault, numerous times. He’s also acted and directed and does improv comedy with Little Fish Improv. I’m sure I’ve missed something. But you get the idea. Temple brings tremendous talent and knowledge to anything he does.
Tami Resler is a multi-talented artist. Here’s some of her pottery showcased in a gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2021)
Likewise, Resler, a ceramics artist and educator at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, sparkles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tami without a smile. Her enthusiasm, I expect, will shine in expressive telling of holiday tales during the reading.
I encourage you, if you live in the area, to take a break from holiday preparations and settle into a chair at Books on Central this Wednesday evening. Relax. Delight in the comforts of a good story. Remember when you were read to as a child or when you read to a child. I hold fond memories of an elementary school teacher reading the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder to our class each day after lunch. And I have read countless books to children, still do.
There is joy in books. And there is joy in listening to gifted storytellers who bring words to life with their voices.
FYI: Light refreshments will be served at this event, which is free and open to the public at 227 Central Avenue North, Faribault.
An imaginative depiction of a dragon on the merry-go-round at LARK Toys, Kellogg, perhaps not unlike dragons featured in fantasy novels. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I LOVE WHEN KIDS, like my 8-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle, love to read. It sets them on a path for success in school. If you can read, you can learn anything. I’ve always believed that, except perhaps when it comes to math. Reading didn’t help me there.
Book cover image sourced online.
But Izzy isn’t thinking about math; her dad is a math whiz anyway. Rather, she’s focused on reading for the love of reading a good story. On a recent visit, she could barely contain her excitement about Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. Izzy quickly finished the first volume in the series and then breezed through the next two.
A back-to-school display filled the bookshop windows at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
There’s a story here about Dragon Rider. Izzy’s mom, my eldest, found the fantasy novel while we were shopping at Books on Central, a used bookstore run by Rice County Area United Way at 227 Central Avenue North, Faribault. All proceeds go to local nonprofits supported by the United Way. Initially, Izzy wasn’t too excited about the book. But soon after we arrived home, she was snugged in the recliner reading.
I photographed the poetry section, right, during one of my visits to the bookshop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
This is exactly what grandparents, parents and the good folks at Books on Central like to see. The volunteer-run bookshop just completed its first full year of operation with more than $30,000 in used book sales during 2024, according to lead volunteers Dave and Jeanne Campbell. That’s a whole lot of books considering kids’ books sell for a buck or two and adult books for a bit more.
Among the books I’ve purchased at Books on Central. The book on the left features a cover photo of an elevator moved from my hometown of Vesta onto a nearby farm. The book includes writing by Larry Gavin of Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2025)
I’m thrilled that the Faribault community and beyond has embraced and supported this used bookstore by donating books and by buying them. It’s a win-win for everyone. People can get rid of books they no longer need, find books to read and help their neighbors. Bookshop proceeds assist The United Way in their mission of focusing on financial stability, health and education.
Previously in the display window at the bookshop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
And education includes reading. The local United Way supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides a free book a month to registered area children for the first five years of their lives. Dolly’s Book Bash, an annual fundraiser to support the program, is set for Friday, January 24, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. at the Northfield Ballroom. The event features music, line dancing, an auction and games.
Signs marking the location as a former jewelry store remained when the bookshop opened. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Back at Books on Central in Faribault, the bookshop is, in some ways, magical. The setting is in the former Dandelet Jewelry with beautiful built-in wooden shelving and drawers and a chandelier centering the space. In the back, kids have an area all their own to peruse the many books ranging from board books for babies to picture books to novels like Dragon Rider. The whole space feels inviting, enchanting.
This is a well-organized bookshop. Volunteers know the books and where to find them. Inventory changes often. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
Sales of 2,661 books totaling about $9,000 in the last quarter of 2024 reflect the incredible support and enthusiasm for Books on Central. Those numbers are remarkable considering the bookshop is typically open only 24 hours a week and is totally volunteer-run. Volunteer hours in 2024 totaled 4,479.
Jeff Jarvis talks about the Dakota during a June presentation at Books on Central. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2024)
This place is more than a volunteer-run used bookstore. It’s also a place to connect, to build community, to learn. Books on Central hosts frequent literary events featuring area writers. I attended a poetry reading by published poet, retired Faribault High School English teacher and friend Larry Gavin. I could listen to Larry read poetry all day. The way language flows from his mind to his fingertips to create poems, well, it’s magical. He has a radio reading voice that mesmerizes. I also listened to a group of Northfield poets read their poems at Books on Central. I heard local historian, writer and artist Jeff Jarvis talk about the Faribault Dakota. And I delighted in the engaging storytelling of native Tanzanian Joseph Mbele, a St. Olaf College professor, consultant and author of several books, his newest Chickens in the Bus—More Thoughts on Cultural Differences.
New signage was installed on the building in late 2024. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
I love that my granddaughter enjoys going to Books on Central. She’s discovered it’s a special place where, if you look (or let your mom look), you’ll discover a silver dragon flying between the pages of a book.
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FYI: Books on Central is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Donated books are accepted, but must be in good condition. Volunteers sort and clean the books, determining which to stock. You will not find musty and moldy smelling books here.
PRINCESS BIANCABELLA first drew me to the business along Milaca’s main drag. Stretched out atop carpet next to stacks of books in the front window display area, the calico cat appeared blissfully content. Not even my photographic efforts disturbed her.
The scene delighted me—this bookstore cat in one window, a vintage typewriter in another and a creative OPEN sign crafted from a book and propped outside Bexter Book & Copy.
It’s not often anymore that you find an independent bookstore, especially in a town the size of Milaca with not quite 3,000 residents. This shop, which opened about a year ago, anchors a corner of the downtown business district in an historic building. And it appears the owner, Rebecca Rittenour, is working hard to make her business a success. She not only sells new and used books, but also offers hometown copy services and engages her patrons via a Mystery Book Club, creative in-store displays and more.
I especially like her artistic vignettes that encourage folks to shop local. I didn’t speak much with Becky other than to greet her, ask for permission to photograph and praise her store. But I got the sense, both from wandering the bookshop and from reading the Bexter website and Facebook page, that she truly holds a passion for books and for sharing her love and knowledge with others. That’s always the benefit of shopping local—excellent customer service from a passionate shopkeeper.
Milaca is fortunate to have an independent bookstore with books tucked into open drawers, filed onto shelves and showcased in artful ways.
On my quick stop in town, this bookshop charmed me with its vivid chartreuse walls, homey character and resident princess cat.
TELL ME: Do you have a favorite independent bookstore? If yes, what delights you and draws you to this bookshop?
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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