Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawna Gentert.
Hi Shawna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Persnickety Books was founded by Shawna & Herb Gentert in late November 2017 with just over 5,000 titles and a dream. They rapidly expanded the inventory in their deceptively small store on West Davis Street and soon had over 30,000 books lining the shelves of their two-story space.
Due to personal reasons, Herb and Shawna realized in late 2018 that they would have to leave Burlington and return to family on the West Coast. Not wanting to deprive Burlington of THE BEST place to buy used books, they began the search for new owners. In February 2019, Ian Baltutis purchased Persnickety from Herb and Shawna, and the Persnickety story continues!
In July 2019, Ian relocated the store from its original location on West Davis Street around the corner to South Main Street. This new location offered the opportunity to dramatically expand the store in a truly unique historic downtown building.
Shawna and Herb returned to North Carolina in 2022, and it wasn’t long before Ian invited them back to co-own the bookstore with him. The store had grown under Ian’s management, and help was needed.
This year we had to move again.
We were excited and nervous to announce that we relocated to a new space in Burlington, our third home since opening in 2017. From our original cozy shop on W. Davis St. to our current Main St. location, we’ve grown thanks to the incredible community of book lovers. Now, we’ve had our biggest move yet, and with their support, we’re now cozily settled into our new home.
Like many independent bookstores, we’ve faced the challenge of keeping the lights on in an era where small businesses operate on razor-thin margins. We feared the worst when we learned that our lease would not be renewed and that we had to vacate by the end of February. But thanks to the strength of our community, we found a new location that’s even better suited for us—a space where we can continue to thrive just a few blocks east of our previous location. This is a significant shift for us but also a critical step in ensuring that Persnickety Books can continue to serve you and our community into the next decade.
Moving an entire bookstore was no small feat, and we couldn’t do it alone. We called on you, our community—our loyal customers, local book lovers, and friends—to lend a hand. And you showed up! (We managed to move almost the entire bookstore in ONE DAY, thanks to our customers coming out in droves to help pack and move books, fixtures, and furniture.)
This move is more than just a new location—it’s a fresh start. Our new space at 703 E. Davis will allow us to expand community events, book clubs, open mic nights, creative arts activities, and social gatherings in ways we’ve always dreamed of. This bookstore belongs to all of us, and with your help, we’re turning the page to an exciting new chapter.
We are endlessly grateful to our supporters. You have kept this dream alive since day one, and we know that together, we can make this transition and continue growing Persnickety Books into a welcoming, vibrant home for readers, writers, and thinkers for years to come.
This move is a new chapter that we get to write with you in our bookstore adventure.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We LOVE our bookstore but it has been anything but smooth. Starting as a used bookstore meant margins were thin and we relied solely on the donations and trade-ins of customers. We sold the bookstore to Ian Baltutis (former Burlington, NC Mayor) to move back to Oregon for a time and right after he moved the bookstore into the bigger, historic building on Main St. in DT Burlington the pandemic hit and he was shut down. He took advantage of small business programs to keep it afloat and at times had to pay the rent out of his own pocket. How he kept it alive all that time is a miracle to me.
Once he was allowed to reopen, Ian expanded the store to carry puzzles, journals, stickers, magnets, and other ephemera. Then he added in a few new books – focusing on popular fiction.
Herb and I had returned to NC in the Summer of 2022 and I joined to staff at Persnickety, my own former bookstore. In early 2023, Ian expressed a desire to keep the store open but also wanted to explore other opportunities and invited Herb and me to rejoin the bookstore as co-owners.
Ian and Herb worked full-time elsewhere and helped when they could, and I took over the day-to-day General Manager role.
The difficulty has always been the razor thin margins and a lack of visibility to the public. Late 2024 our landlord informed us he was increasing the rent for the building and not renewing our lease. We thought it was over. We could not afford to move the bookstore and we’re days away from announcing our closure when Ian made a connection with a building owner just a few blocks away with a beautiful building just right for our bookstore. There was still the cost of moving to overcome so we appealed to our friends, fans, and customers and they donated and showed up in person to help us move everything to the new building and get it put back on the shelves. We were only closed for one week!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Persnickety Books is more than a bookstore. It’s a community hub, a third space, an “everyone’s welcome here” safe zone. Books are our business, but people are our mission. We believe in second chances for books and second chances for people.
We’ve partnered with prison book programs, supported local authors, and donated to prison transitional programs. We’ve donated and shipped books to active members of the military stationed far from home and to their families. Our Open Mic night brings poets, singer/songwriters, authors, and more out to share, perform, and network with their neighbors.
Persnickety Books services include new and used books, a trade-in program for store credit, an espresso bar for hot and/or iced coffee drinks, and cafe seating to enjoy it at. Free wi-fi for writers and remote workers and an event space upstairs for meetings, gatherings, or parties. We have free book clubs, open mic nights, author readings, and book signings. We bring in professionals and experts to share their knowledge, like beekeepers, tarot readers, community building, stress management and workshops for aspiring writers. The bookstore also hosts two separate writing clubs.
We have an online store that gives our customers access to the entire Ingram catalog and audio books are available through Libro.fm
Persnickety Books is a place where people can find their calm.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Ian Baltutis, co-owner, carried this store on his back during the pandemic. It would not still be here today if not for his dedication to it and the city of Burlington.
Herb Gentert, co-owner, worked in the back room sorting through thousands of books to curate our inventory for our customers while rarely getting to be out on the floor to meet those same customers who enjoyed the labor of his work.
Beth Kennet, who hosts our Open Mic Night, exemplifies what community means every day with her positive attitude and kindness, bringing people together to share their talents and gifts on a hot mic.
All our staff members who make Persnickety to warm and inviting third space it is.
Our volunteers who help us clean, shelf, sort, and dust the books and more because they love books and independent bookstores so much. We’re so grateful.
Pricing:
- Second-hand books avg. $5
- Persnickety-Priced new books are 50% or more off list
- We also carry brand new popular titles at regular price
Contact Info:
- Website: www.persnicketybooks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persnickety_books/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/persnicketybooksinc/
