Nestled between Wrenshall and Barnum, the unincorporated community of Mahtowa can be easy to miss on the stretch of Interstate 35 between Duluth and the Twin Cities.
Twice Told Tales, a small used bookstore in town, can be just as easy to miss with Mahtowa's biggest attraction, TJ's Country Corner, just across the road.
Open just 15 hours a week - 1-7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays - the store offers a range of authors, from the classics of Plato, William Shakespeare and the Bronte sisters, to a wide selection of children's books, to the recent thrillers by Dan Brown. Prices range from 50 cents for children's books to $3 for hardcovers.
Opened in 2006, Twice Told Tales is the work of the Mission and Outreach Team of Mahtowa Covenant Church. The team existed for several years to help those in need in the community, but was looking for a new way to raise money for its work, according to store manager Myra Class.
"All we had done for fundraising was rummage sales and we were kind of tired of that," she said. "Our team was thinking of something we really enjoy and we all love reading."
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The group had approached TJ's owner Tom Bislow, who died Jan. 31, about the small building he owned across the street. The group rented the building and opened the store in June 2006 with nearly 3,000 donated books stocked on bookshelves built by church volunteers.
Twice Told Tales has no paid staff. All of its profits from the store go directly back into the community, Class said. To date, the bookstore has generated more than $40,000 for people in need around Mahtowa. The company has helped residents recover from a house fire, provided unemployment assistance and helped with medical emergencies.
Twice Told Tales also provides school supplies to those stopping in the store each August and has sponsored activities during "Wurst Days," an annual Mahtowa celebration hosted by TJ's.
"We're in it to help people," Class said. "We're not trying to make money. Our focus is the people around us."
Class said Twice Told Tales has developed a regular clientele of people from all over Minnesota. A Willmar woman stops in a couple of times a year to check the children's section. She collects Little Golden Books.
"We have people from all over coming," Class said. "It's fun just talking with and getting to know them."
Customer traffic varies at Twice Told Tales, according to Class. During the summer, with more vehicles making the trek to northern Minnesota from the Twin Cities, some days have a steady stream of shoppers. During the winter, volunteers may work an entire shift without anyone walking in the store, but there's a solution to that.
"We just tell them to make sure they bring a book to read," Class said.
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