Business model that ‘began as a lark’ has become a Buffalo icon
Reaching a 50-year anniversary is rare for most businesses, especially small shops. Small businesses comprise the backbone of America’s economy, but most operate for fewer than 10 years, according to online sources. So when an independent bookseller marks five decades, the accomplishment becomes a celebration.
Talking Leaves Books, now located on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, celebrated that milestone this month, after first incorporating on January 1, 1975. Since then, retailers, the publishing industry, and society at large have undergone seismic cultural changes. Bookstore chains like Borders and Waldenbooks have come and gone, yet Talking Leaves has survived.
“Our basic challenges aren’t any different from other businesses,” said Jonathon Welch, 74, owner and one of the store’s founders. “How do you ensure you have more money coming in than you’re spending every month? How do you find a staff to rely on and pay them living wages?”
Bookstores, however, are motivated by more than basic economic factors.
“In the book business, you’re putting things in front of people and hoping they want it or like it,” Welch said. “Discovery is always an issue. Yes, there are big name authors and books about specific topics. We combine that with books that are outside the mainstream, in the margins, voices that are underrepresented in our culture. That’s always been important to us, and it’s a dance to introduce people to that.”
Back in the 1970s, Welch estimated there were 50 major publishers. Today, that number has shrunk to five. Blossoming smaller presses have expanded, so there are myriad reading choices. Learning about that diversity is vital to the store’s success.
“We try to meet people where they are and move them, not necessarily in a specific direction,” Welch said. “We weed through hundreds of thousands of titles, trying to figure out which ones will connect. We make sure customers have options outside of their normal thought. Knowledge isn’t a single stream or silo. It comes from all directions. Exploring that is an important part of what makes an informed citizen, and that’s what’s behind this for us.”
In Buffalo — and perhaps even outside the region — Talking Leaves has become a cultural icon.
Founding Member
Chasing his dream to become a college English professor, Welch first arrived in Buffalo in 1972 at age 22. A Wisconsin native, he never intended to helm a bookstore, but converging events pivoted him toward a different life.
A popular off-campus hangout for University at Buffalo students was “everyman’s bookstore” (spelled entirely in lower case letters), across from the Main Street campus. In the fall of 1974, “everyman’s” owner, Kate Selover, confided to a select few customers that she planned to relocate to New York City. She would either close or sell the bookstore.
“A group of four graduate students went out for a drink later that day and said that we should take over the store,” Welch recalled. “Our concern was that the bookstore would turn into something else, and we wanted to make sure that it stayed.”
“everyman’s bookstore” was familiar to young professors, writers, and poets. Public readings were frequently held within its space; many UB students ordered their textbooks and other materials there. Recalling a cooperative bookstore from his undergraduate studies in Madison, Wisconsin, Welch wondered if that model might work in Buffalo.
“We looked into the legal aspects, and started talking to friends and family and people we knew at the university,” Welch said. “None of us had any money, so we asked if anyone would pony up. Within a few months, we got about 30 people who lent us just under $20,000. Most loans were between $100 and $500. The biggest was a couple thousand. Loans were a simple 5% annual interest for five years. When we had enough money, we paid for the store, its inventory, and the fixtures. We bought the whole thing outright.”
The group quickly incorporated as a nonprofit, promoting the bookstore as a cultural space. One of the organizers studied law, so the group was determined to follow detailed state regulations. But according to Welch, the “weirdness” of New York’s legalese posed certain challenges. Co-ops, he explained, were designed to benefit farmers, so laws had originally been crafted with agriculture in mind. Stringent membership rules applied.
“Within a year we had more than 1000 members,” he said. “People paid an annual fee of $5 and worked two hours a month to get a discount on books. With so many members, there wasn’t enough work for everyone to do. Someone needed to be there to coordinate and make it happen.”
Exhausted from his studies, Welch took leave from academia to oversee management at the bookstore.
“My original thought was that I was going to work at the bookstore for a year,” Welch said. “I was feeling overwhelmed and overburdened in grad school. I thought I could take a year off to get myself ready to prepare for oral exams.”
Welch became the first paid employee. He and his friends anticipated that running a bookstore would be simple. But it wasn’t. Two-thirds of their co-op members were required to attend each meeting — a quorum that was nearly impossible to achieve. And IRS regulations felt daunting. Welch earned $2 per hour, officially working 20 hours per week. In practice, the job quickly morphed to full-time, despite the part-time pay.
The second employee was Bart Grahl, also a UB graduate student, who had been active in the store’s planning. He worked for about two years before moving to Boston.
Welch sees Grahl occasionally, through mutual friends. Has Grahl ever expressed regret that he didn’t stick around at Talking Leaves?
“He may be thinking it, but he’s never said that to me,” Welch joked. “He ended up getting involved in computer stuff.”
After realizing “this whole thing was not going to work the way we thought,” the bookstore reimagined its plan, dissolving the co-op and transferring to a profit-making business.
The third employee was Martha Russell, also a UB student. Working at the bookstore jumpstarted a lifelong commitment with Welch. The two became a couple in the mid 1970s, marrying in 1990. They have two children: Sarah, 37, a social worker in Seattle, and Noah, 34, who lives part-time in Colombia and studies tropical reforestation.
“Of all the founders, Martha and I stayed the longest,” Welch said. “We’re in touch with some of the founders periodically, but most of them I have lost track of, as one does. And I never went back [to grad school]. I realized I liked this better. What started as a lark became a profession.”
Adapting to change
According to Welch, the original name, “everyman’s bookstore,” was misleading.
“Even the previous owner had problems with the name,” Welch said. “People saw the word ‘man’ and asked where they could find porn. It got tiresome. What broke our back was when someone came in looking for inflatable dolls.”
A new brand was needed, so in 1979, the store was renamed “Talking Leaves.” According to their website, the name is “reflective of our interest in language and storytelling, poetry and narrative from pre-literate times up to our present print culture.”
The original store was located on Main Street, moving three times until it shuttered in 2017. The store on Elmwood Avenue, which opened in 2001, remains in business.
“It became harder and harder to make the Main Street store work,” Welch reflected. “We had ordered books for English classes for years, but that business dried up. People could find stuff online for lower prices, and the store wasn’t viable anymore. Even though it was smaller, keeping the Elmwood store was just a better idea.”
Like any long-term business, their mission has evolved over the years. Early on, efforts were made to highlight lesser-known writers exclusively, ignoring books from the mainstream. Welch found this was short-sighted.
“We adamantly said we’re not going to have big names, or tried-and-true writers,” he said. “We believed you could find those books at the drugstore or supermarket. But we discovered fairly quickly that people wanted to buy Stephen King and a poet published in a back room simultaneously. By carrying some bestsellers, we could happily serve our customers better and have a more guaranteed income.”
As years passed, Talking Leaves began to partner with several local author series, providing books at public events. Welch pre-orders books and brings them to the Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series, Buffalo, Books & Beer, and BABEL.
BABEL, sponsored by Just Buffalo Literary Center, is a high-profile literary event that invites internationally-known writers to speak at Kleinhans Music Hall. Over the years, BABEL has hosted Amy Tan, George Saunders, Colum McCann and Toni Morrison, to name a few.
Barbara Cole, Just Buffalo’s Executive and Artistic Director, serves as event emcee, introducing authors and engaging in questions and answers onstage. When that ends, she escorts the writer to the music hall’s lobby, where patrons line up to have their books signed. Welch oversees this process.
“One of the key moments of the night for me is when I essentially hand off the author to Jon, who is right at their elbow,” Cole said. “Many of these writers are literary legends. So many people would try to chat them up, or build a rapport, but Jon is there quietly, so unassuming. He’s a gentle spirit.”
Quiet and shy
Welch confesses that he is not an extrovert. Engaging with strangers isn’t easy for him, and he often finds that he has little to say to a writer, even one that he has long-admired. But he finds pleasure just by being in their company.
“Meeting and hanging out with authors whose work I love and respect is just wonderful,” Welch said. “It makes all the challenges fall by the wayside. I’ve been quietly starstruck a few times.”
The writers appreciate Welch’s role.
“Without exception, every single author we’ve brought in happily chats with Jon at the end of the night,” Cole said. “They pick up on what a tremendous presence he has in this community.”
That sentiment is echoed by Brian Castner, a Western New York native who has authored four books. With fellow author Matt Higgins, Castner co-founded Buffalo, Books & Beer, nicknamed B3.
“Jon is a tremendous supporter for writers,” Castner said. “I can’t say enough good things about him and how lucky Buffalo is to have him for all these years. He’s a national leader in the independent booksellers association. Bookstore owners and publishers know Jon. Plenty of people in Buffalo support him, but it’s probably not enough. He’s been a great resource for me and other Buffalo writers.”
Talking Leaves’ reputation expands beyond Buffalo. Cole, originally from the Philadelphia area, first came to Western New York in 2000 to study poetry at UB.
“I might have heard about Talking Leaves before I got here,” she confessed. “As a young grad student, we went to the store on Main Street. I got paid on Friday, and went right there and spent more than I should have. Their poetry collection was unlike anything you would find in a big chain bookstore.”
Welch has been active with the American Booksellers Association, a national trade group that supports and advocates for the success of independent bookstores. He served on their board of directors between 2012-18. Cole dined with group members when they visited Buffalo, and was struck by the respect that Talking Leaves garnered from well-known bookstore owners across the country.
“He’s a leader who is nationally known and respected in the publishing industry,” agreed Higgins, B3’s co-founder who is an Amherst resident, journalist, and author of three books. “Jon doesn’t seek or need a spotlight. There’s no ego there. He makes his work about books and authors.”
Higgins appreciates Welch’s dry sense of humor and ability to listen. He understands how much effort goes into running an independent bookstore.
“Jon has a midwestern reserve,” Higgins observed. “He doesn’t need to say a lot. He just shows up and does the work, He’s not only promoting bestsellers at BABEL. He’s also at B3 events at a tavern in the old First Ward on a Thursday night supporting our little barroom book series. He might only sell 12 books, but he believes that his work is valuable, and it is.”
Friends through work
Talking Leaves has allowed Welch to meet and befriend publishers and authors. He is a fan of late poets like Robert Duncan, David Budbill from Vermont, and Joel Oppenheimer, known for his association with the Black Mountain poets and as a columnist for the Village Voice between 1969-84. Welch befriended each of them.
“When you run a small business, your life is your business,” Welch said. “For Martha and me and for many people who’ve worked for us, this is where you meet people. The community you have outside of work is discovered within the work. We have made wonderful friends. We connect people to books and ideas and that’s a rewarding thing.”
The daily demands of running a small business have kept Welch busy, so he has not reflected much on the milestone of 50 years.
“It is astonishing,” he said. “I remember sitting in that bar on Hertel Avenue with some friends in 1974 wondering if we should buy a bookstore. I was 24 and life was still ahead of me. I wasn’t even sure if I should be part of it.”
As time passed, Welch fell in love, and had children who grew up and moved away. Major life events, he recognizes, pass quickly.
“Many of our friends retired 20 years ago,” he said. “My father died when he was 45. It’s strange to think about things like that.”
Talking Leaves could not have survived without extraordinary customers, he said, or his staff, who work long hours at low wages because they are dedicated to the vision offered by the store.
"Our three longest employees have each been here for decades. Lucy Kogler began as a bookseller and managed the Elmwood store from its opening until her recent semi-retirement. Alicia Michielli started in 2001 and is now co-managing. Tim Denesha began as a volunteer more than 40 years ago and continues part-time. Doug Zerby has been working with us for over 15 years, and may well be the most familiar employee to our customers, handling the registers and telephones with a friendly graciousness and open heart. Many other wonderful booksellers have come and gone, leaving an imprint as well."
As for the future?
“There’s not a specific end-game, although I do think about it,” Welch admitted. “I can’t stay here forever. I want this to keep going without me and have high hopes that that can happen.”
For Welch, running a bookstore has defined his life, his purpose, his marriage, and friendships.
“I think I made the right choice to do this and not pursue a graduate degree,” he said. “I felt I wasn’t that good of a teacher. The mission of the store has allowed me to teach in a different way. I always wanted to serve the world of letters and arts and culture.”
Text © 2025 by Jeff Schober
__________________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Schober has a journalism degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in English and History from the University at Buffalo. He retired from teaching English and Journalism at Frontier High School and is the best-selling author of ten books, including the true crime book Bike Path Rapist with Det. Dennis Delano, and the Buffalo Crime Fiction Quartet. Visit his website at www.jeffschober.com.
Steve Desmond is an award-winning photographer. With his son, Francis, he is the author of A Life With A Purpose which raises money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. To view more of Steve's work, search Facebook under "Steve Desmond" and "Desmond's PrimeFocus Photography," or on Instagram at "Stevedesmond9."
__________________________________________________________________________________
Did you like what you read? If so, scroll to the top of the page and click “Login/Sign up" on the right. If you're social media savvy, we have a Facebook page. Join us and we'll be your friend. Or follow us on Instagram. About once each month, we’ll let you know about a new Buffalo-based story… for free. Check our catalog of past stories too, which can be read below, with more choices on the home page.