Company gives books a second chance at life
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Don't despair if the dog chewed up the family Bible. The situation isn't hopeless.
The Bookmenders, a Bible and book repair business, can save it.
In fact, 25-year-old Ryan Purdy, one of the owners, has just finished repairing a Bible a dog tore apart. The book was ripped so badly, the owner had to collect the pieces and torn pages into a plastic shopping bag, Purdy said.
Although Purdy is young, he's been around the bookmending business for a long time. The business was started by his grandfather in 1979.
Growing up in northwest Arkansas near his grandparents, Ann and Tom Bellino, he watched his grandfather repair many Bibles and precious books, Purdy said.
Purdy got into the bookmending business a little more than two years ago when he became an apprentice working for his grandfather.
In January, after finishing his apprenticeship, Purdy and his wife, Amy, bought the business.
During the last 29 years, The Bookmenders has repaired about 10, 000 Bibles, Purdy said. Many of them came from faraway places, including Okinawa, Japan; Sydney, Australia; Bermuda; the Bahamas; Indonesia; and Canada.
Bibles aren't the only things the Purdys work on.
"Anyone with a passion for books would want to mend books," Purdy said.
He learned to love books because his grandfather was a reader.
Anybody who knows him knows how much loves book, he said, because when he was in the U. S. Army and had to leave for his permanent post at Ft. Eustis, Va., he had to pay $ 70 to ship 50 pounds of them.
His passion for books has led him to dream of starting a publishing business for Christian teenagers.
Meanwhile, he's working toward his dream by going to school at Northwest Arkansas Community College, attending classes for his applied science degree in business. When he graduates, he plans to attend the Sam M. Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas.
At the same time, he is getting practical business experience owning and working at The Bookmenders.
Since he began his apprenticeship, Purdy said he has learned the hardest part about fixing books is lining up torn pages so all the letters match perfectly from top to bottom or side to side.
Once Purdy lines up the letters, he has to keep them that way while he applies special mending tissue with the correct pH, a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of items. If the paper or tissue, which is made from Japanese mulberry trees, has too much acid, the page will deteriorate more rapidly. After applying it, Purdy said," The tissue becomes virtually invisible."
The Purdys'philosophy about book repair is stated on their Web site, www. bookmenders. com. "We believe that each Bible or book that we receive should be treated as if it was our own precious treasure. We pay close attention to detail when repairing your book."
Besides fixing torn pages, Purdy and his wife handstitch pages into the books, add ribbon bookmarks and replace book covers, including leather ones.
The business is located at 13997 Whiteoak Lane in Bentonville. The Bookmenders mailing address is P. O. Box 121, Hiwasse, AR 72739.
Office hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. until noon Friday.
For more, call (800 ) 538-0821 or e-mail to thebookmenders @ yahoo. com.
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