Not a lot of small businesses that make a go of it in Durango last to the five-year mark, let alone survive – and thrive – for a decade.
Say hello to White Rabbit Books & Curiosities.
The shop, opened in 2013 by Keena Kimmel, measures just 150 square feet and can only be accessed by the Animas River Trail. But packed into the space, and spilling out into the shop’s famous garden, lies a feeling of whimsy and community.
Kimmel, who is originally from upstate New York, moved to Durango with her husband in 2000. Before landing here, she said the couple traveled a lot.
If you go
White Rabbit Books & Curiosities is located at 128 W. 14th St., Unit C. Its current winter hours are 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
For more information, call 259-2213.
“My husband and I were on the road for a long time doing art festivals and I sold books on the side for years online and at flea markets,” she said. ”There came a time when I was ready to have a roof over my head, and the bookstore just seemed like the next adventure.”
That adventure of opening a bookshop has come with some challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020. Because the shop closed for a time during the thick of it, Kimmel stayed busy by taking the book business to social media, offering books from her inventory at home and sending them to customers. But once the pandemic lightened and stores were allowed to reopen, White Rabbit offered a place for people to regroup a little, Kimmel said, adding that the shop took advantage of its location, including its garden and proximity to open spaces along the river trail.
“This was kind of a space where people could still come and be normal,” she said. “It was weird because we could only have two people in the store at a time, so at times we had trivia going down the trail or people were waiting to get in, but we had our garden space and people would just come here to kind of catch their breath and find somewhere that was relatively normal during COVID.”
Kimmel said the “secret sauce” to the bookstore’s success includes a couple of ingredients, including just keeping it simple.
“I was scared of the idea of my space is 150 square feet, and I was terrified going into it … I figured I could start a little bit at a time, and I had my garden outside,” she said. “I wanted to continue that and make it more community based in a collaborative space.”
While it would seem natural for a business that has made it in Durango for a decade to want to expand, that’s not the case with Kimmel, who said she’s had opportunities to trade up to a bigger space.
“I’m happy where I am,” she said. “I had a few chances to move – I was going to go up on Main on Second (Avenue) when the Bookcase went out of business, that was years and years ago. And then the space behind me here is gone up for rent a couple times. And I would love to have kind of a tea party aspect to this … but just looking at logistically, I want to be able to manage it myself and I didn’t want to get in over my head. So I chickened out at the last minute both times, and in retrospect, I’m glad I did because I really love this little spot. I hope to be here as long as it can be.”
Despite the challenges of maintaining a business in Durango, Kimmel said she’s still having fun.
“I just love talking to everybody that comes through the door. I never know who’s coming through,” she said. “There’s a lot of locals that I’ve gotten to known over the years, and there’s just people that come in from all over the world and I get to hear their stories. That’s the most fun for me.
katie@durangoherald.com
