Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Deyo.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
This crazy venture into the world of books and candy selling was first initiated by husband John Deyo to his wife Lisa in November of 2015 as a “You’ve always wanted to do this and now there’ s a storefront available…why not?” Lisa quickly was embraced by friends as accomplices in making the store happen. Family and friends continually offered building help, shopping help, etc. By June of 2016, the doors opened and people entered an eclectic 100 foot long store featuring John’s 30 foot long locomotive, shelves of nostalgic candies, a picturesque (literally speaking) bathroom, unique genre settings with trees and workbenches. July of 2016 brought the World’s Largest Collection of Berenstain Bears to the store–our own museum across the street from the world famous Spam Museum. Local author visits are the highlights of the bookstore–award winners to first time published authors.
Many genres are featured–from first time authors to award winning writers from our own area. The community supports their expression and work. CoVid brought new highlights to Sweet Reads -more authors who did virtual “porch talks” or “Fireside Chats” and lots of home deliveries of books! The Berenstain Bears Museum was moved to the owner’s new house in the Twin Cities and a new free museum began at Sweet Reads! The Sweet Collections Museum features a rotation of local collections – like Hot Wheel cars, Russian Art Boxes, Star Wars items, etc. We continue to grow and be part of a vibrant community.
Sweet Reads has earned the reputation of a support for local and regional authors. As a teacher, owner Lisa had planned to be a source for children’s reading clubs and story hour type events. She realized that the local library had recently invested in a wonderful staff member and had the financial resources and the space for children’s activities. They could not, however, support the local authors as Lisa could. Now, the community looks forward to the author talks and the visitors to town love the regional portion of the store. People are amazed that the Minnesota selection of books is prolific and that our own local authors have the variety and quality that is superb.
Lisa is an active committee member of several groups that also put Austin on the map for literary stars – Austin Pageturners community book read, the Austin Area Artworks Festival every August, Austin Leadership Club, and more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges ( never struggles!!) have usually been met with serendipitous arrangements.
For example, having the Berenstain Bears World’s Largest Collection as a feature in the store was superb. Then when it moved during CoVid to the owner’s new home, we happened to have collected a list of community members with their own collections. So the museum now changes every 3-4 months using local collections that are quite unique!
Another example, Lisa continued to be a full time elementary teacher during the first four years of operation. When the dear friend who covered during school hours fell sick, an artisan who had just lost her place of selling her art stopped in looking for an arrangement of working and selling. When she found full time employment, a different friend with 25 years of retail background took a leave and wanted to help out. Lisa was covered amply for those years until she retired in 2020 from teaching.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a recently retired teacher and involved community member, I have been able to be a source for knowing good regional and local literary connections. My classroom focused on Minnesota authors and history so it was a natural fit to continue that focus in the bookstore. Once local authors found they were welcome to be featured on the shelves of Sweet Reads, the word spread to other authors and artisans. I’m also connect to groups like the Pageturners and the Austin Chamber Newcomers Club, who both support paid experiences for authors to be celebrated in Austin. This has opened up the opportunities for the local readers to meet and read books that they might not have tried.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up on a dairy farm between two towns that were very similar and yet very diverse – Austin and Albert Lea. I earned an excellent education and music background in the Austin Public Schools, but earned leadership skills, adventure, and an understanding of social grounding through the groups I was involved in in Albert Lea. My college years were spent at the Austin Junior College (now Riverland Community College) and Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. My masters in education was online. I taught in the Austin Schools for 34 years – happily! My husband of 41 years and my four children and their families are all within 2 hours. We love getting together for games and laughing and experiencing life on this planet! My 95 year old mom is on the family farm – completely in charge and even mowing the 10 acre lawn every other day.
Pricing:
- New books
- Used books are mostly $2 each, or $1 or $5 for children’s or unusual books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sweetreadsbooks.com/aboutus.htm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sweetreadsbooks/about
