Happy 15th Birthday to the Flying Pig
by Rowan Beck,
November 17, 2011, page 11.....

The Flying Pig Bookstore will celebrate its 15th anniversary on Saturday, November 19, from noon to 4 p.m. “It should be fun!” co-owner and comedian Josie Levitt beamed. “We’ll have cake, some sort of flying pig and giveaways.” Josie and her partner, Elizabeth Bluemle, first opened the Flying Pig Bookstore on November 23, 1996, in Charlotte near the corner of Route 7 and Ferry Road, in the old post office building that is now the Little Garden Market. After five years they moved to their current location in Shelburne.
The Flying Pig moved to Shelburne for several reasons. One was location. “We were hard to find,” Josie commented. “Being in Shelburne has been great. It’s a vibrant village that has a sidewalk.” However, Josie enjoyed having the business in Charlotte, which is her home, and still has many Charlotte customers. She continues to participate in community events like the CCS Talent Show. The favorite part of her job is the children. “Kids we’ve known since they were infants now drive here,” she said. Josie also feels that “being part of someone’s life is a privilege. We’ve met every puppy, even a pig. That’s fun!”
Over the years the Flying Pig has grown and improved. In 2008 it won the Pannell Award for Best Children’s Bookstore in the country. This is a national award that recognizes and publicly applauds the work of booksellers who stimulate, promote and encourage children’s and young people’s interest in books. Recently they added e-books to the website. Josie said, “It just went live last week.” The only tablet that won’t work with it is the Kindle.
This year Josie focused on arranging visits by well-known authors who rarely travel this far north. She has hosted Terry Brooks, Judith Jones, Doreen Cronin and Kate Messner, to name a few. She is continually thinking of new things to do, such as the Pitch-A-Paloo-za event on October 2. Throughout the year hundreds of galleys – advanced reader copies – are read, which helps the Flying Pig staff choose something for everyone. Harry Potter was one of those books. They sold 800 books in an hour on the day the seventh and final book of the series was released. The store has always been on the Harry Potter bandwagon and had rented a tent for the event. Josie said, “People got dressed up; everyone on staff helped out. We were completely surprised. We never realized there would be so many (people). It was the end of an era and so fun to have that many kids celebrate a book.”
“It’s been interesting to reflect. It’s been a long time for an independent bookstore,” Josie mused. One of the key components of the Flying Pig’s success is the knowledgeable staff. “We have a staff that is conversant with books. It’s the same core group since we moved to Shelburne; everyone is friendly and loves books.”
Over the 15 years both Josie and Elizabeth have become better at running a bookstore and have been able to pursue other creative avenues. Elizabeth is coming out with her fourth book, Tap, Tap, Boom, Boom, sometime in 2014, and Josie continues to perform her comedy acts. Pride and joy in the store is visible in Josie’s eyes when she states, “It’s a fun way to spend the day.”