Owner: Kathy Mullins

Founded: 1970

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Book Loft, an independent bookstore in the Danish town of Solvang, California. Solvang, as well as Buelton, still remain popular resting spots for traveler’s driving down the 101. The same kind of town that you “pull over for a flat tire.” Buelton’s has Anderson’s famous pea soup and Solvang is known for its Danish pastries.

In the 1960’s Kathy and Gary Mullins traveled from Seattle where Gary worked for Boeing and stopped in Buelton on a trip down the coast. They must have fallen in love with the food and the weather, because after deciding that they wouldn’t return to Seattle, Gary quit his job and they both decided to open a store.

The Book Loft opened in 1970 in the small upstairs space of a store called Rasmussen’s in Solvang, the origin of their name. It opened as a candle store, but Kathy said people’s interest in used books inspired Greg to attend an Antiquarian Bookseller Association week seminar in used books. At that time, there were no bookstores in the small community and they were mostly selling mass paperbacks, which were distributed by magazine dealers and didn’t directly sell to bookstores. In addition, the same week that they opened there was a transportation strike. Yet despite all of the obstacles and uncertainty, Kathy and Gary persisted and made relationships with publishers in order to buy for their inventory. The couple had no previous experience with bookselling, but Kathy says that they both loved literature and learned as they went along.

At their first location, the stairs weren’t very good and many people disliked using them. Kathy decided to redecorate the walls going up the stairs with excess book jackets that local libraries had given away. These small touches which constitute the fantastical elements of the store still remain today.

In the mid 70’s, the Mullin’s moved their store to an empty lot that used to be a blacksmiths. While at first only occupying a small portion, they now occupy most of the space. Around that same time, Kathy’s husband was diagnosed with cancer and they sold the used book portion to Ed Gregory who took over in Gary’s place.

Solvang was settled by Dane’s in the late 50’s, and has developed gradually into a tourist town of Danish architecture and shops. Before they were known by so many tourists, Danes in Solvang used to have a yearly Danish celebration and one year the Saturday Evening Post stopped in to join and published an article about it. So it goes, the next year so many people came to the celebration that they ran out of food.

Kathy says that the benefit of the tourist place is the ability to serve more than just a local market, and it is reflected in the broad range of books Book Loft houses. It is also a form of cultural tourism that gives more to the public than food and shopping.

Kathy had a lot of space and liked the idea of starting a small museum that specialized in Scandinavian literature and Danish author Hans Christian Anderson. Kathy says that it “fit into the spirit of the town.”

Yet finding Anderson’s work was hard, for most books are “kept in the family or loved to death” Kathy says. Nevertheless, the museum is flourishing with Anderson’s life and works- a unique addition to a bookstore. Kathy says that she and Gary traveled to New York and England to shop for harder to find titles. They also were able to travel to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and develop relationships with publishers to order from to fill their Scandinavian literature sections. Although Scandinavian languages are not read as prevalently any more, the resurgence of Danish mysteries and literature has helped keep their shelves stocked.

The museum is a non-profit foundation and Kathy still comes in everyday to help educate those who visit from all over the world.

She enjoys coming in every day and talking to book loving people. The store is a community center filled with a wealth of interesting people. Just a few examples of those interesting people are Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger as well as a “man with a motorcycle helmet who walks in and says, “Hi I’m Kurt Vonnegut.”

The Book Loft is celebrating its 50th anniversary this coming year which is an incredible accomplishment. Make sure to stop by Solvang’s iconic bookstore next time you hop off the 101 for pea soup & a pastry.

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