Jen Mason and her little books lead to big community impact

When you walk into biblion (Greek for “little book”) and look around the store’s inventory of mostly used books, you can’t help but realize that every one of them has its own past and provides a unique experience for the reader. Similarly, owner Jen Mason hopes her visitors, whether they’re browsing through the books, interacting with other customers or talking to her, will leave with their own unique experience that will draw them back again. As a frequent customer of biblion told Jen, “It’s like visiting an old friend.”

Jen Mason grew up in Augusta, Kan. It was a small town and a good place to grow up. In Augusta, everyone knew everyone else, and each resident had their own unique identity. Small-town living not only provides a level of comfort for local citizens, but in Jen’s mind it also creates a sense of personal accountability. After all, if you got into trouble in a small town, everyone would know about it.

While Jen was working at a local family restaurant in high school, one of the other waitresses told her about Oklahoma Christian College. Even though she knew nothing about the college, her counselor had cautioned her against going to “one of those eastern schools,” where she might not fit in. So off she went to Oklahoma Christian, and when the school created its study-abroad program, Jen was a guinea pig as one of the first students to participate. She had a wonderful experience in Vienna – so much so, that she returned there after graduation. After spending two years in Austria, she decided to return to the U.S.

She moved to Connecticut, which she felt she was a good location to choose from many schools nearby where she could pursue an advanced degree. While in school, she met her husband, who had been trained as an Episcopal priest, and they moved to Lancaster, Pa., for a position in a local church. Jen had planned to be a stay-at-home mom, but a divorce changed those plans, and she took a job with Donnelley Printing, where she did very well and received several promotions. A second marriage soon took her to Rehoboth Beach, although she gravitated toward the town of Lewes.

Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life in southern Delaware, Jen was meditating one day when the idea of owning a bookstore came into her head. She had some savings, which she used to help open biblion. As she said, “That’s what savings are supposed to do – save you.” Opening a bookstore in the middle of a recession, and at a time when Amazon was putting the big-box bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders out of business, might have seemed like a crazy idea, but not to Jen.

More than 60% of Jen’s customers are younger people, and she believes her stores are a refuge for folks looking to escape from the digital world and yearning for an analog experience. Over time, her store has evolved from just used books to unique items, cards, and a downstairs shop that sells vintage clothing as well as record albums, limited to independent artists and labels. She loves the idea that people can come into her store and for just a few dollars, walk out with something special and unique.

Jen has been involved with many community organizations and activities, but the one that has really captured her heart is the History Book Festival. Founded in 2017 by Jen along with Ron Collins, it is the only book festival in the United States targeted toward history. Jen thought Lewes needed a significant annual event with a focus on something special, and Lewes, with its historic nature, has been the perfect backdrop for the festival. She loves how the festival features history that may not involve the most significant or well-known events, but still has an important story to tell. Jen likes to quote Rudyard Kipling, who said, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”

When asked what her vision for the future looked like, for both biblion and Vintage Downstairs, the word she came up with was “existing.” Jen feels no pressure to grow and/or expand the stores; she said she’s not looking to make her life more complicated. If, while working alongside her daughter, she can continue to provide an experience in her stores that helps create memories in other people’s lives, that’s all she needs. She would much rather spend her time on other activities, like the History Book Festival, where – as with her store – there is always an unusual story with which to connect.