By Dennis Higman
How do you keep a small business in a resort town up and running through good times and bad, particularly in the worst downturn since the Great Depression? Hard work, for one thing, according to Cheryl Welch, who has owned Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum since 1991. She is also a founder of the Sun Valley Wellness Festival, going into its 13th year, and a passionate supporter of the Spiritual Film Festival and the Sun Valley Writers' Conference.
"I hate to say it, but I'm probably a workaholic," says this vivacious woman. "I usually work at least six days a week. We keep the store open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas." If you want to hold on to a loyal customer base, Welch says emphatically, you've got to be there.
"We have wonderful customers—local folks, fascinating people from all over the world, and a lot of part-time residents who call us before they arrive and have us order books for them."
She's also blessed with long-term employees like Meg Mazzocchi. "Meg is just a tremendous asset to my business. People like her are hard to come by."
If you have to work hard, it also helps to love your work, Welch adds with an infectious smile. Welch grew up in Pocatello, the oldest in a Catholic family of 12, and came to the valley 35 years ago with her 5-year-old daughter, Holly. With a degree in education from Idaho State University, she taught in local schools for a while before landing a part-time job at Chapter One. "That was it," she recalls enthusiastically. "I'd found a home. I loved books, and I loved the people who bought the books. I never looked back."
Over the years, Welch worked at the store for several owners until she was able to buy the business in 1991. And five years ago, with the help of two sisters, she bought the historic brick building on Main Street that houses the store. "We got really favorable terms from the landlord who wanted to see us succeed—we couldn't have done it without her."
Welch remembers buying the business and the building as two of the best decisions she ever made. It gave her a measure of independence and enabled her to pursue a lifelong interest in New Age and spiritual titles, in addition to local history and bestsellers.
It was that interest that led to the founding of the Sun Valley Wellness Festival. The chamber of commerce was looking for an event to fill the doldrums of slack in May and, after a community survey showed a strong interest in wellness, Welch came up with the idea for an annual event.
They started small. The first year the keynote speaker was Dan Millman, author of the "Peaceful Warrior" books. They got some local interest, but the idea really caught on in the ensuing years with headliners like Deepak Chopra and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Now the Wellness Festival has become an established Sun Valley institution. Next year's scheduled keynote speaker is Jamie Lee Curtis.
"Despite all our economic problems," Welch emphasizes, "this was the festival's best year. I guess people just need something positive to hold on to. We had a great concert at the Pavilion featuring Toni Childs, and the Sun Valley Co. was really supportive of our efforts."
That brings Welch full circle on how to survive in a small business in a resort town during hard times. "The fact is you also need a lot of help from your friends and other businesses in the community so you, in turn, need to help them. We've all got to pull together to survive and prosper." Welch notes that she has enjoyed long-standing business support from a local bank and, two years ago, a former employee and good customer became a partner in the store.
Chapter One stocks and sells books for the Sun Valley Writers' Conference every other year (alternating with Iconoclast), sells and promotes books for the Spiritual Film Festival, and for 30 years has been hosting and financing the Hemingway School book fair, a major contributor to school programs, including the library.
These events take up a big part of Welch's time year-round. But she emphasizes that she loves her community involvement and sees it as extremely important for the ongoing success of Chapter One, other valley businesses and for the quality of life in our community.
"As business people and community leaders, we're all in this economy together, and we've got to constantly be stirring the pot and looking for new ways to attract more quality people who will love this valley as much as we do. That's the only way we're going to grow and prosper."
Besides her business and many friends, Welch has a very personal stake in the future here. Her daughter, Holly Mora, and her husband also own a small business in Ketchum, High Altitude Fitness. "I'm so proud of them and I feel very lucky to have them close by."
