Webster’s to reopen in late February

***Published in the February 2012 edition of Voices of Central Pennsylvania***

Elaine Meder-Wilgus, owner of the locally popular Webster’s Bookstore Café, thinks that books should be a part of everyone’s daily life. And, since 1999, Meder-Wilgus has been able to share this passion with the State College community through her own business.

However, the turbulence of the American economic recession swept Webster’s up in its path and forced the South Allen Street location to close when its lease ran out after Meder-Wilgus fell several months behind on the rent. Webster’s moved to a temporary location on 121 S. Fraser St. and operated out of there until the six-month lease was up.

Since the initial closure of the main location on South Allen Street, State College residents and friends of Webster’s have responded with great support. “When we first got the news that we were losing our lease, my family and I thought that was pretty much it and we were out of business,” Meder-Wilgus said. “And then, a groundswell of thousands and thousands of people came forward and said, ‘No. We won’t let this happen.’”

These supporters did all that they could to lend a helping hand to Webster’s, according to Webster’s Internet sales manager Molly Haight. “People donated their time to unpack boxes and sort books for us,” said Haight. “We had people come in every day being like, ‘So what can I do?’ Just because they love Webster’s.” “[The help] came in the form of pure energy, kind words and monetary support to help get us through this last year and a half,” said Meder-Wilgus.

And so, thanks to the passionate masses of its supporters, Webster’s is now set to re-open in late February once everything is organized inside. Webster’s will be moving from its former location on South Allen Street to 133 E. Beaver St., once the home of Creative Oasis art studio.

The new space is twice as large the previous location, which Meder-Wilgus says will allow Webster’s to store more books. The large space will also allow Webster’s to consolidate their business into one building instead of multiple locations for a bookstore and café, a book warehouse and another café.

“It’s such a fantastic space for a bookstore because it’s slightly underground and it’s not as expensive as the old store, which means we can afford to house more books,” said Meder-Wilgus. “We’ve been able to go through some of the old stock and discover some forgotten gems. We’ve had boxes of books that have been sitting around unopened for nine or ten years because we didn’t have the space to put them out or the time to deal with them.”

Along with the bigger bookstore, the new Webster’s will feature a larger kitchen, a stage for live performances and two gallery walls for art exhibits. One gallery will be named after the late David E. Newman, the founder of Creative Oasis.

“[Newman’s vision] for Creative Oasis was to give people who may not be connected professionally or academically to art space to create,” said Meder-Wilgus. “So we’re giving space to exhibit what people create to honor his memory.”

Having an art gallery featuring local artists in a coffee shop will also provide a unique artistic experience for customers, according to Haight. “Actual art galleries are at a disadvantage because people simply walk through, look at everything and then leave,” said Haight. “At Webster’s, you can sit, have a coffee and enjoy the gallery.”

The East Beaver Street space will also be more accessible than before, according to Meder-Wilgus and Haight.

“The new location is a beautiful rectangular shape with two exits and lends itself to better flow because that other space was sort of a bowling alley,” Meder-Wilgus said. “We had to have different sections for the café, the records and the bookstore and even though we managed to blend them together, there was a natural separation by the length and dimensions of the old space. In the new space, we can really allow for people to walk around and not feel like they’re standing in a hallway.”

“Before, there was a sense that people were trying to look at books and other people were trying to get past to get to other things all the time,” said Haight. “The new location will be more browsable.” 

In addition, Webster’s has a new advisory board of professional financiers who will volunteer their time to keep the business’ accounting in control and prevent another situation like the one in 2010.

“The income side of Webster’s was always successful, but it was the overhead that had really become too much,” said Meder-Wilgus. “And when the recession hit, our expenses just kept going up. So this advisory board has been really fantastic in getting all the plans in order. I’m incredibly blessed that these people have stepped forward to be on this advisory board to assure the health and wealth of Webster’s and the community that resides within it.”

With Webster’s financial house in order, Meder-Wilgus and her staff are now focused on getting the new location stocked, coded and ready for the grand opening in late February. The reopening, according to Meder-Wilgus, will be marked with a festival of diverse events that will celebrate the culture and energy of the local community. 

“It’s going to be tremendous,” said Meder-Wilgus. “We have belly dancers lined up, we’re going to have readings, a political singer-songwriter coming in to do a performance and an open mic night.”

Along with the opening festivities, Meder-Wilgus is also excited for all to see the new bookstore. “People are going to lose their minds when they come in and see the sheer volume of books,” she said. “I can’t wait. They’re going to squeal. It’s going to be great.”