Meet Marya Johnston | owner, Out West Books

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marya Johnston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marya, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had been in the book business for many years before returning to western Colorado after living overseas. My immediate inclination was to go to the bookstore to see what type of local history and outdoors books they had in stock. Grand Junction only had a big box bookstore with limited selection in those areas. I thought I could do a better job at this than they do, so I did.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As mentioned before, I worked in my mother’s bookstore for 20 years, so I am a second generation independent bookseller. Not many people can say that. I am also a native of western Colorado and my family came to this area in the late 1800’s. I am very interested in the landscape and its history. This sets me apart, knowledge-wise. A lot of people come in the store to ask me about history or hiking advice. That’s something you can’t get in a big box store or online. I also learned early on that exemplary customer service is the only way for a business such as this to survive. I’ve always hated walking into a business and being ignored. Those goods aren’t going to sell themselves! That’s a lesson many businesses learn the hard way. I have hand curated these items and I treat customers as if they are walking into my own house.

For me, the bookstore business was an easy choice, as I have known it for a long time. I knew what I was getting into going in, so there weren’t a lot of challenges. Mostly, these days, the biggest challenge for me is having time to do the business of the business. We are so busy that there is little time for ordering, paperwork, (answering questionnaires!)etc. This is a good problem to have, though, and I’ll take it any day over the alternative.

We want people to know that Out West Books is not a “western book” store. Yes, we do carry books by and for the people in this part of the west (Think natural history, native american history, western history, hiking books, novels of the west) , but we carry everything else as well and take pride in the fact that our children’s books section is second-to-none in this part of the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them hiking, of course, to places like the Colorado National Monument and the arches in McGinnis Canyons National Recreation area. I would show them little known petroglyphs where there is no trail. We’d also go skiing at our little gem of a ski area, Powderhorn. No lift lines! If it were not winter, we’d just go visit the Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat top mountain at 10,000 ft and do some hiking and fishing there. Back in the Grand Valley, we’d have a meal at 626 on Rood, and maybe a crafted cocktail at Highland’s Distillery.
We’d stroll Main Street in Grand Junction and visit some of the great local boutique stores. Lunch at Cafe Sol on Main is a must.
Before we’re finished, we’ll spend a day in Palisade visiting wineries and hiking the Rim Trail or biking the Plunge.
There’s so much to do here, it’s hard to choose just a few.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The community of Grand Junction for their support of this little bookstore. When many people considered Independent Bookstores to be a thing of the past, we have proven they can not only survive, but thrive.

Website: outwestbooks.co

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