Tim Preston/The Independent
Ashland — Diane DiLego, owner of the Paperback Exchange in Ashland, has an unusual gift.
“For some reason I can remember what people have read. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I can remember what people have read,” DiLego said with a chuckle.
It is an ability that has earned the business next to Foodland on 13th Street a legion of loyal customers since it originally opened in another spot 30 years ago. Originally from Massachusetts, DiLego and her husband, Frank, moved to the area in 1977 when he accepted a job with Ashland Oil.
An avid reader, DiLego said she was extremely impressed with Boyd County’s library system although a little shocked to hear a series of people advise her a used-paperback bookstore would never stay in business here.
Borrowing the concept, and name, of a store in New Jersey, DiLego and friend Connie Booth started the local shop as a team, with assistance from Booth’s 3-year-old daughter, Shelly.
The women spent six months looking for a landlord who would even consider renting them space for their fledgling business, and ultimately stocked their shelves in a shop in along U.S. 60 in the Summit area.
“The owner was convinced it wouldn’t last so he didn’t give us a lease,” she recalled, noting the shop later burned when a restaurant in the same plaza caught fire.
The women and their young apprentice relocated to Ceredo and later sold that shop and moved to another location, enjoying a great working relationship for seven years and parting ways when Booth’s husband accepted a job in Texas.
“She would work mornings and I worked afternoons,” DiLego said. “We still have a toy corner over there. Connie’s daughter, Shelly, would see a kid come in and ask, ‘Would you like to come play with the toys?’ That was for any kid that came in — if they were 3 years old or 16 years old. I should say they worked the mornings and I worked the afternoons.”
A random sampling of customers in the shop provided plenty of reasons for the success of the Paperback Exchange. Janine Pelfrey of Kenova said she found the shop through an online search for bookstores that accept trade-ins.
“They have a great selection and good prices. She doesn’t try to stick it to you,” Pelfrey said. “And, if you can give any details about what you’re looking for, she’ll go, ‘Oh, you’re looking for this one.’ She has a way of pointing you in the direction you want to go.”
Sharon Mays of Ironton said she is shopping for books about the paranormal, and DiLego added the customer also appreciates “romance with some humor in it.”
“She knows me very well,” Mays concluded.
Tammy Smiley of Russell discovered the shop “on a drive-by” at least 25 years ago. She said she enjoys the shop’s relaxed atmosphere and appreciates the staff’s dedication to customers.
“Anything they suggest will be something you will like,” Smiley said. “Everybody that works here is a reader so they understand what readers want.”
Despite the predictions of doom for the business, DiLego said the “readers” of the area seem to like what the shop has to offer.
“At one or two years we were surprised we were still in business,” DiLego observed, stressing her appreciation for landlord Dr. Phillip Maroudis and co-workers Kathy Moore and Loretta Phipps. “Now I think we should be here for a good long time.”
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.
