COTTAGE GROVE – For quite some time now, life has been one chaotic chapter after another for Betsy Hartzell. Now she gets to close the book on a very large part of her life. The longtime owner of Kalapuya Books is retiring. Her last day is on Christmas Eve.
“My breathing will be a little lighter,” she said, when asked how she might feel after walking out the door one last time as the store owner. “I’m glad somebody else is taking over. I don’t know how I can ever express all the gratitude to all the people who have helped along the way.”
The new owners, Greg and Lisa Ingold, have been in the Eugene area for 30 years and recently bought a home in Cottage Grove. Meet the new owners on Saturday, as Greg plays acoustic guitar and will be joined by his percussionist son Max during a Winter Solstice celebration at the bookstore between 2-5:30 p.m.
The sale hasn’t been completely finalized, but was down to a matter of “dotting i’s and crossing t’s,” Hartzell said.
“They’re smart, cautious, they’re taking over with joy – I’m putting it in enthusiastic hands. Plus, they’re younger than me,” she said, laughing.
For many Kalapuya Books fans, part of the appeal of the place is Betsy’s youthful exuberance. She’s not your typical 76-year-old.
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Cottage Grove, a town of just over 10,000 people, features a cultural phenomenon that few other places in the world can lay claim to. It has three bookstores within a two-block radius. Bookmine, Goodbar Books, and Kalapuya Books aren’t in competition with one another, they’re working together as community partners, helping spread as many good words as they can.
Kalapuya Books, which shares space with The Axe and Fiddle bar and grill inside the historic Burkholder Woods Building, was a dream come true nearly 20 years ago for Betsy and her husband Hal Hartzell, who died of natural causes last year.
“It’s a little bit of a love story to Hal – it wouldn’t have happened without him,” Hartzell said. “We started in ’97. We had done a publishing business in Eugene, and we had the early idea of selling online, which was new in ’97. So we traded our new books for old books. We wanted to be closer to Cougar Mountain, and to be on Main Street. That was the beginning, in ’97.
“It evolved slowly into our ability to buy this place along with our partners in ’05. It was a risk – we took a risk – we were one of the first people to renovate any of the downtown historic buildings.”
Turns out, it was a risk well worth taking.
“You wouldn’t believe the energy that evolved out of that. People just came out of the woodwork who filled a need and became like family. There were like 100 people who were considered family out of that,” Hartzell said. “When we did a book brigade to bring the books down here, we had already established Bread Club as a phenomenon, with an artisan baker. Social events were a part of what we were providing. There were dance parties with 100 people. Of course, The Axe and Fiddle was on board for that – nearly all the musicians were playing for free.
“It was a joyful time. That was the flavor of it.
“That evolved into Art Walk downtown and other people renovating, and then Halloween where they blocked the streets off. You wouldn’t believe all these cute kids and their dogs who are dressed up so funny and cute!
“The energy was phenomenal!”
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Hartzell and Bookmine owner Gail Hoelzle became good friends right after college at the University of Oregon. They never dreamed they would own bookstores almost across the street from each other.
“We were part of the counterculture,” Hartzell said. “We had connections with the Grateful Dead, with the Pranksters, all that energy of people who planted trees as part of an enormous cooperative that generated millions of dollars for the area. And the Country Fair was part of that.”
Hartzell’s first husband, Edd Wemple, helped pioneer the Hoedad movement, in which millions of trees were planted from 1971-94. He died at age 37 of a sudden aneurysm.
That wasn’t the only tragedy in Hartzell’s life. In June of 2023, their son Noah Wemple – while getting ready for a family get-together on Father’s Day – collapsed and died at age 53 while tilling his garden on Cougar Mountain.
Through it all, the losses have helped Betsy and her extended family become more tight-knit.
“They can be the most deepening of experiences,” she said. “We have more thankfulness as it goes, awareness of that impermanence is important for all of us. As a family, we’ve been enjoying each other very much. Yeah, we feel so fortunate for each other.”
Throughout Christmas Eve, all used books in the store are on sale for 50% off, while most other gifts – excluding consignment items – are 20% off. Hartzell knew her last week would be emotional, but she was hopeful it was going to go smoothly, with a lot of folks buying books.
