Aunt Teek’s Novel Shoppe • Taylor

Aunt Teek’s Novel Shoppe • Taylor

Written by Beth Wade Friday, 09 May 2008

Taylor — A bookworm is someone who loves to read books, and a bibliophile is a person who collects books for the way they look, feel and smell. In her youth, Lera Lamme was a bookworm, but over the years she has grown into a bibliophile. However, Lamme does not keep her own collection; she sells her books to others.

Aunt Teek’s Novel Shoppe began in West, Texas as The Novel Shoppe. Lamme came up with Aunt Teek’s from playing around with the word antique. When the internet became an avenue for retail, she began selling books online. Along with her husband, Chuck, Lamme closed her bookstore and moved to Taylor. In 2004 she reopened the store in Taylor.

“I wanted to keep selling books online, which I did for a long time. When we first opened the store, I thought Taylor wasn’t big enough for two bookstores,” Lamme said. “I decided to go into the antiques and other stuff, too. One night, in the middle of the night, I came up with the name [Aunt Teek’s and Uncle Lectible’s] half asleep. I thought it was so cute I ran to the courthouse and registered it, to reflect that I sold more than just books.”

The name was difficult for people to understand over the phone, and Lamme finally decided to combine the two into Aunt Teek’s Novel Shoppe.

Lamme sells a variety of items. Most of the store is filled with rows of books, but scattered around the front and back are vintage items ranging from shoes and clothing to glassware and collectable dolls. She also has a selection of ephemera (paper goods that are now collectible), including sheet music, magazines and advertisements. “[I get my merchandise from] estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, auctions or wherever I can get my hands on it,” she said. “I have even had people put [books] on the step in front of the store.” Aside from the books that fill the shelves of the store, Lamme has just as many books in storage in her warehouse and her own home. “I just don’t have time to catalog them,” she said. “I keep telling myself I’m not going to buy anything else until I get all of the rest cataloged, but I’ve gotten to the point now where it will take me the rest of my life to catalog it, so I don’t worry about it anymore. If I like it, I’ll buy it.”

Lamme helps care for her mother in the mornings and is sometimes late to open the shop. Her store hours are generally 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. “I’m too old to punch a clock anymore,” Lamme said. “I’ve done it too many years. It’s a small town, and people are used to that. I stay open longer than most other shops in downtown. Once I’m here, it is hard to get me out because I love what I do.”

What Aunt Teek’s Wants

First-edition hardbacks with the original dust jacket.

• “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham
• “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy
• “The Orchard Keeper” by Cormac McCarthy
• “Green Grass of Wyoming” by Mary O’Hara
• “A History of Laxton: England’s Last Open Field Village” by Beckett
• “The Spur: History, Art, Culture, Function” and “The Western Buckle: History, Art, Culture, Function” by David Stoecklein
• “Ladies Vintage Accessories” by LaRee Burton
• “Carrie” by Stephen King
• “Spindizzies, Gas Powered Model Racers” by Eric Zausner
• Any books by George Sessions Perry
• Any books about Texas
• Any books about cowboys and Indians
• Any books about hunting big game
• Any books about books

What to look for when collecting books:

• Condition – books should be as close to new as possible. If the book came with a dust jacket, it needs it to become collectible.
• Cover – Hardback books are worth more than paperbacks.
• Edition – First editions are best.
• Autographed – The author’s autograph adds to the value of the book.

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