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A peek inside Tecolote Books | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom<\/p>\n
On a gloomy Monday morning in August, I stopped by the shop to chat with Sheldon, who\u2019s usually there five days a week. The space is warm, not in temperature but in atmosphere \u2014 as every bookstore should be. Owl figurines (\u2018tecolotl\u2019 is Nahuatl for owl<\/a>) line the dark wood shelves, wrapping around the store \u2014 gifts from customers and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n The shop has quite a storied and complicated history, one that Sheldon admitted she can\u2019t possibly recall in its entirety. Instead, she handed me a copy of a 1998 article by Charles N. Johnson, who wrote a detailed and in-depth examination of its history.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In short, the shop opened in 1925 in Santa Barbara\u2019s historic El Paseo Courtyard, just months before June\u2019s 6.3-magnitude earthquake<\/a>. Initially, it was more of an antique shop that sold a few books, but over time, it evolved into a full-fledged bookstore.\u00a0<\/p>\n After that, it switched storefronts a few times at El Paseo Courtyard and branched off into multiple locations. Over the years, ownership changed hands several times before settling at its current location, 1470 East Valley Road in Montecito, in the early 1960s.\u00a0<\/p>\n The tale of how the store landed in Sheldon\u2019s hands is much simpler. She actually started shopping at Tecolote\u2019s original location in 1953, shortly after she moved to Santa Barbara with her mom and sister. After graduating from UCSB with a degree in environmental studies and an emphasis in botany, she started working at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Eventually, she moved into the book world and began working as a book seller at Chaucer\u2019s Books.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 1991, Peggy Dent, then owner of Tecolote, asked Sheldon to take over management of the shop. She agreed. In 2007, after 17 years at Tecolote, Dent decided to retire and sell the store. She asked Sheldon if she wanted to take it on.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although she didn\u2019t have the funds herself, she knew some good customers were interested. She approached one of them, Herb Simon, and together they purchased the bookstore. Mary was honest with Simon, joking with him, \u201cDon\u2019t quit your day job, Herb, because you\u2019re not going to make any money on this.\u201d Nevertheless, they decided to team up and take on the challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recognizing that the store needed some major TLC, Simon gave Sheldon full rein to refresh the space however she wanted \u2014 a gesture for which she is eternally grateful. \u201cI will tell you I am an extremely fortunate person to have the business partner that I have,\u201d Sheldon reflected.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a wild ride ever since. Tecolote has been through some rocky years, but nothing Sheldon can\u2019t handle. When the COVID-19 lockdown commenced, she didn\u2019t worry about possibly having to close the shop. \u201cWell,\u201d she admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t worry about things like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not that Sheldon was completely unfazed, but she didn\u2019t see the point in stressing about something beyond her control. She took it one day at a time and operated under the mindset of, \u201cWe\u2019ll manage.\u201d And manage they did. During this time, she adapted by using the shop\u2019s Dutch door to hand books to customers, allowing her to continue serving people safely.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lockdown may be over, but in the age of online shopping, threats to the longevity of any local bookstore still loom large. Even so, Sheldon doesn\u2019t worry about that. She\u2019d rather live in the moment \u2014 and for her, that moment is usually spent at the shop reading or recommending books to customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n At first glance, that work may seem monotonous; however, the reality is quite the opposite. Every day at the store is a little different. While I was there, multiple customers stopped by to ask for Sheldon\u2019s help in finding a book \u2014 it was fitting, seeing her in her natural element. One customer even popped in just to snag a copy of the latest Indy. \u201cMary, I\u2019m grabbing the Independent,\u201d she said before picking up the paper and heading out the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s these small but meaningful interactions that keep things interesting. About 30 minutes into our conversation, one visibly puzzled customer stomped through the door, brandishing a copy of A Little Life in her hand. \u201cThis book is horrible,\u201d she declared, waving it in the air. She had driven to Tecolote just to tell Sheldon how much she hated it and to plead for a hint about whether it got any better, despite being almost finished. Sheldon, who hadn\u2019t recommended the title to this particular customer, laughed and admitted she\u2019d never read it.<\/p>\n Everyone \u2014 the customer included \u2014 shared a laugh over the misunderstanding, with the woman jokingly begging Sheldon to stop selling the book. As Sheldon and I continued to chuckle about the ordeal, she reminded me, \u201cYou see, we have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n The moment was ironic, given that one of Sheldon\u2019s favorite parts of the job is recommending books she knows her customers will love. She takes pride in matching a reader with the perfect story and is a firm believer in not wasting time on a book you don\u2019t enjoy, which is why she promptly told that customer to stop reading the book if she didn\u2019t like it. As Sheldon sees it, \u201cYou might as well read what you want to read, and what makes you happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout our conversation, Sheldon returned to one central idea: Do what you love, and don\u2019t waste time on anything you don\u2019t enjoy. For her, that truth took root early \u2014 she knew from a young age that she loved books. It so happens that her passion for books and reading naturally evolved into her profession, a rare opportunity that few are fortunate enough to experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Sheldon, it\u2019s simple: \u201cI guess books are my life.\u201d <\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Try as we may, we couldn\u2019t coax Ms. Sheldon into having her photo taken. You\u2019ll just have to visit her at Tecolote Book Shop, 1470 E. Valley Rd., <\/strong>tecolotebookshop.indiecommerce.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9R1A3703.jpg\")
Tecolote Book Shop is celebrating its 100th year in Montecito. | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9R1A3704.jpg\")
The children\u2019s section at Tecolote Book Shop | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom<\/p>\n
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