In the day of bookstore giants such as Borders and Barnes & Noble, Dane and Elizabeth Ferguson had a slightly different vision for Grand Forks.
They've opened a mom-and-pop store with new and used books, CDs and DVDs, where customers can get a cup of coffee and relax.
Their store, Ferguson Books & Media, will become one of the few area bookstores to stay open late (11 p.m. Monday through Saturday), with a coffee/refreshments bar and couches and tables for customers who want to sit and look over the merchandise.
"My goal is for Ferguson Books to become a premier location for books in the northern Red River Valley," Dane Ferguson said.
Their store will have its grand opening Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Located in the Menard's strip mall in south Grand Forks between a chiropractor's office and a telephone company, its regular business hours will be 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
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Beyond the business, they want their store to have a cultural impact as well, with live music, story time for children, movie showings and other events.
Dane Ferguson, a native of Grafton, N.D., and Elizabeth Ferguson, originally from Fargo, are 2008 graduates of Concordia College with a son, Xander, born Dec. 8. They're just starting out in their careers, and they know opening their own business is a gamble.
"We have nothing to lose but our dignity," Dane Ferguson said with a smile.
Not that they entered into this venture blithely. Four basic ideas have been the cornerstones to the launch of Ferguson Books & Media, Dane said. First, he has always wanted to own his own business, and second, he has retail experience to make it viable.
Then, in the last year, the UND Barnes & Noble bookstore left Grand Forks to be replaced by UND Bookstore, and Waldenbooks at Columbia Mall closed. The mall's B. Dalton announced it would close but so far is still open. With all that going on, Dane and Elizabeth believed Grand Forks could use a bookstore like the one they wanted to open.
Fourth, their store would mean Elizabeth could realize her dream of opening a children's bookstore. Ferguson's Books & Media will have a children's corner with books, vintage toys and creative outlet toys -- ones that don't need to be plugged in or use batteries.
Elizabeth, a fourth-grade teacher, said she has had students tell her they've spent their whole weekend eating, sleeping and playing video games, sometimes apparently not even leaving the house. Today, many toys seem to be noisemakers and lights.
"It just seemed kids didn't have to play anymore," she said. "All they had to do is push a button."
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It's taken about six months for the Fergusons to put together financing, find a place for their business and get ready to open. Dane said he used his contacts in the insurance business, where he used to work, to find a banker and make other needed business contacts. The Fergusons also used the services of North Dakota Small Business Development Center. With the help of family and friends, they prepared their 2,336-square-foot storefront, painting, installing a floor and building bookshelves.
They also plan to sell what they call "old media," cassette tapes and VHS tapes and the like, at 99 cents per item. One of their promotions offers customers who buy $30 in new materials half-price on as much as $30 in used items.
If you have used media to sell, visit the store, call (701) 738-8025 or e-mail dane@fergusonbooks . The store will be open today for people who want to sell used media.
Reach Tobin at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or send e-mail to ptobin@gfherald.com .
