Adams Walls of Books

The Story of the Search

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Like the countless books lining its towering shelves, Adams Walls of Books conceals a historical story of its own.

 

“It’s been a bookstore since the ‘50s,” owner Nancy Adams Duncan said. “Before that, it was my grandfather’s jewelry and antique store.”

 

Duncan’s father, a wildlife conservation biologist, started collecting books that pertained to his field of work. He began to trade his books during the war, accumulating a collection that became the basis for the store it is today.

 

He passed on his affinity for reading to Duncan, who inherited his bookstore and has kept it in business ever since.

 

“There’s nothing left but books,” Duncan said. “My house is full of books. My car is full of books. My mission in life is books.”

 

As a retired kindergarten teacher, she spends hours during the week traveling and searching for the right books to bring back to the store at 214 N. Eighth St.

 

“My job is to find books all week and then come to the store for three hours on Saturday,” Duncan said.

 

She travels to all of the “big book sales,” which include events in St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa.

 

Traveling to purchase books from some of the same book and estate sales each week is never dull work for Duncan. She finds the quest to be one of the most appealing aspects of her hobby.

 

“I love the search…it’s like a treasure hunt every time you go out to find books,” Duncan said. “There’s always the chance you’re going to find that terrific, wonderful, super-duper book.”

 

With years of experience in book buying under her belt, some would probably say she’s a connoisseur. Indeed, there’s merit to this label. Duncan always has a strategy when going into a book sale: She knows which genres she’s going to seek out when the sale opens and where the books will be located.

 

“When you go to those big sales you really have to be very particular because, honestly, the best books go in the first five minutes,” Duncan said.

 

The “best books” in Duncan’s opinion include art, photography and architecture genres. At book sales she goes to these sections first, then wanders to western Americana, “Missouri stuff,” and military history.

 

“I strangely enough know about the books [military history], but I don’t know about the history, per se...” Duncan said.

 

She attributes this skill to her dad since he taught her what constitutes a good military history book.

 

At the end of a sale Duncan said she somehow always finds herself ending up in literature. This is reflective in her store.

 

Adams provides a wide breadth of literature with books aged over 300 years to current best sellers. Duncan says her average customers are males between 19 and 24 looking for unconventional works. Duncan says the local aspect of Adams is what makes it distinguishable from generic bookstore chains.

 

“I always try to buy local if I can… and I think I cater to my customers more,” Duncan said.

 

Duncan has nothing against traditional bookstores such as Barnes and Noble, but she believes local bookstores such as her own provide a more enjoyable, physical feel.

 

Next to the checkout counter she creates small piles of books she thinks her repeat customers might enjoy picking up and reading the next time they stop in. This sort of customer intimacy is not typical of widespread bookstores.

 

Duncan hopes the store’s legacy will be that it’s known for just having good books.

 

“Good books, good reading, good price, decent ambiance and a good conversation occasionally,” Duncan said.