There’s an essence about Midway that draws people from all over to experience the community’s folklore, its timeless traditions, customs and stories communicated throughout generations.
Just off Main Street, a new white Swiss Chalet-style structure aims to assimilate into the town’s quaint synergy. It’s adorned with a gable roof, creamy stone and a wooden exterior — the perfect complement to the carefully curated, charming collection of 6,000 titles tucked into book nooks within the shop.
It’s taken co-owners Lindsey Leavitt Brown, Alison Russell and Audrey Lind — an author, a retailer and a librarian — nearly two years of planning to build their cozy new bookstore from the ground up. In just four months, Folklore has already become an integral part of a growing business community in Midway, aiming to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for tourists and locals alike.
“My favorite bookstores are ones that have some history to it. We always talk about King’s English (Bookshop, located in Salt Lake City). That’s the one I grew up going to, and that has a different charm. It’s very cobbled together … and people remember that. Those are the bookstores people my age grew up with and they love,” Russell said.
Leavitt Brown added, “We’re not competing. We’re kind of creating something that’s just a little different.”
She and Russell live in the same neighborhood and built a long-standing friendship through their daughters’ participation in the Swiss Miss program. Whenever there was downtime, the women began sharing small business ideas or things they could do to improve the community. The first iteration: a tea shop with gifts and books.
The concept evolved from there with a goal to provide an open event space where the Midway community could gather.
“Reading connects people, even though it’s a solitary thing. I think it connects people, and people want stories,” Lind said.
She met Leavitt Brown during their kids’ basketball games, bonding over books. The author introduced the librarian to the retailer once the women had settled on the idea of starting a book-selling business.
The entrepreneurs started looking at houses they considered covering into a store, but the property they wanted to buy was sold before they could put in an offer. Through that process, the women were encouraged to build from the ground up so they could create a mindful layout with their own unique spirit.
While Barnes & Noble has experienced a revival with the resurgence of reading in the wake of the pandemic, the owners of Folklore wanted to create a community-based retail experience for customers rather than a consumer-driven one.
“It’s a third place. Somewhere you can go to be comfortable, that’s not your house,” Lind said.
Those types of settings have dwindled in the past 20 years, according to Leavitt Brown. People don’t visit malls. They don’t often go to bowling alleys or ice rinks. There aren’t many places, especially in Midway, for people to go and hang out.
“We’re just facilitating that, we’re not the epicenter, but it has been cool,” Leavitt Brown said.
Folklore staff started a “bring your own book” club where fellow readers can meet and mingle; hosted a Galentine’s Day party to honor female friendships; threw a midnight release party for the “Onyx Storm,” the highly anticipated third book in Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series; and organized a birthday party for Taylor Swift, whose 2020 studio album shares a name with the independent bookstore.
“We had people come from two hours away. I was talking with some of the women who were there and I was like, ‘Oh, did you guys come together?’ and they’re like ‘No. We just met, but now we’re friends,’” Leavitt Brown said. Other people who recently moved to Midway said they found it easier to meet people at Folklore because they instantly have something to talk about.
The women expected about half of their business to come from locals and the other half to come from people visiting Midway from surrounding communities. But what differentiates Folklore from other bookstores is the desire to stay awhile, connect with others and understand an experience outside of their own.
How often in today’s society is there an opportunity to have a conversation with a stranger, Leavitt Brown wondered. The business name is an ode to the oral tradition and stories of a community.
“Ultimately, we just want people in the community to connect and go do their own things but take the energy we’ve tried to create here and go forth into the rest of the world,” Russell said.
Folklore has a warm, inviting interior with stacks of books organized by genres like fantasy, romance, speculative fiction, poetry and children’s books as well as a bargain books section and themed bookseller-curated tables, including a rotating selection of folklore from different cultures and local author features. There are also big comfy couches, stools throughout the reading nooks, a bar top with plenty of outlets for remote work, a working typewriter and a fireplace.
Midway was seen as the perfect place for the new business because it’s still accessible and aspirational to many, especially as prices continue to rise in the Park City area. Leavitt Brown, Russell and Lind attended several town meetings as they prepared to open Folklore, and found there was a serendipitous, symbiotic energy to the business community.
Though they don’t have much experience in business, the women said their different strengths have made their trio successful. They’ve done pretty well with trial and haven’t had much error since opening in October.
Folklore will continue hosting several community events throughout the year including a fantasy book club on Thursday, a conversation with bestselling author Elle Cosimano at 7 p.m. on March 5 and a bring your own book club event at 6 p.m. on March 11.
The new bookstore is one of several new additions to Midway’s shopping scene, which only continues to grow with the opening of The Dainty Pear, Flower Bar Co. and the Midway Bakery.