If you don't remember the Little Engine story, it describes how a small train has to climb a tall hill, one that other engines have refused to climb. In the end, though, by trying really hard, the Little Engine makes it up and over the hill.
Such is the case with Reading on Walden. This small bookstore had to compete against neighborhood giants Waldenbooks and Borders as well as the online giant Amazon.com.
Not only did the store persevere, but John now stands on the threshold of selling his own book that details their evolution from small businesses owners, to Internet store owners, to becoming integral supporters of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
The book's title, "Reading on Walden Bookstore. How an Ordinary Bookstore Made Extraordinary Achievements," aptly describes that "little engine" effort.
John said Reading on Walden opened in 1991 and was located at 99th and Walden Parkway in Beverly. Unfortunately, in the first couple of months of being open, their business was broken into. That break-in led them to the Beverly Area Planning Association, a neighborhood alliance organization, and as a result, the Prestas became involved with BAPA's safety committee. Little by little, their involvement in the community grew, until one day, a campaign manager for then unknown Obama walked into their store.
"We weren't interested in him," John said. "We threw him out but he kept coming back. He finally ordered 20 copies of Barack's book and later told us he didn't know how many books he was going to have to buy to get our attention."
John said he and his wife finally agreed to sponsor a debate between Obama and Congressman Bobby Rush and when they heard Obama speak, they were "on board" with his campaign.
"Obama was a great guy and we knew he would do something," John said. Later, when Obama sought his Illinois Senate seat, the Prestas were heavily involved with the campaign.
Meanwhile, despite their attention to Obama's political career, the Prestas were still busy with BAPA's safety committee, where they helped usher in the city's "Graffiti Blasters" program, a neighborhood court watch system, and the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy effort. In addition, they were still building their bookstore business, which was becoming more profitable with each passing year.
By 1999, however, the Prestas decided to close the store and instead, operate their business as an online bookstore.
"I had no idea what that meant," John said. "Hardly anyone looked at our site or ordered from us. Meanwhile, Amazon was going to town, so I went to Amazon to see what the big guys were doing."
What John learned was that those big guys had name recognition, and that recognition resulted in Amazon.com's name coming up at the top of Internet search engines when people used those engines to find books. John decided, then, to get his store's name "out there" by creating an Internet brand name.
To accomplish this goal, he began blogging or keeping a journal on the Internet, writing about the community, books and politics. With time, Reading on Walden's name recognition grew, until they began to successfully compete with the big guys.
John and Michelle both miss in person interaction with customers, but Michelle said they still discuss books with customers via the telephone. Also, having an Internet business has allowed them the chance to pursue other neighborhood activities.
"We are the sponsors of the Reading on Walden Bookstore book discussion group that meets at the Beverly Branch Library on the third Saturday of each month," Michelle said. "And, we sponsor a political discussion group, coordinate political activities in the area, sponsor author events at the Beverly Branch Library, sit on the board of directors of the East Beverly Association, and participate in the neighborhood watch program.
"We do more than sell books," she added.
Grace Kuikman, BAPA's coordinator of communications, spoke highly about the Prestas.
"John and Michelle are simply great neighbors. They are committed to our community, actively supporting issues that make us stronger," she said.
John continues to keep Reading on Walden's name out in the open, by writing not only for his own blog, www.readingonwaldenblog.com, but also for http://politicalinquirer.com, www.mydd.com, www.boomantribune.com and www.dailykos.com.
As for John's book, he has had several publishers and agents express interest in his story. A sale may be imminent and John is hoping Obama will write the forward to his book.
Patti Ahern is a citizen journalist from the Beverly community. She can be contacted at PattiRMA@aol.com.
