‘Bv SUSAN MCMILLAN

Bv SUSAN MCMILLAN

riving out of Burlington, south on g

Route 7, furniture stores and car deal-

erships quickly give way to barns and
open fields. As you crest a long hill, the nar-
rowing Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks
rise up, a vista reminiscent of fjords. Turn right
at the Charlotte light toward the Essex ferry, .
and you’ll see a neat white house with brightly
striped awnings, a picket fence, a brilliant blue
sign — and a rainbow flag. You are about to
enter a world of color and chaos and kids: The
Flying Pig bookstore.

Who would be crazy enough to buck
the trend of independent bookstore closings by
opening a boutique shop in “downtown”
Charlotte? Two amiable bibliophiles, Elizabeth
Bluemle and Josie Leavitt, would be that crazy,

, and they say this enterprise is purely a labor of

love. -
_ Thirteen years ago, a love of reading
brought these women together. Josie (39) and

_ Elizabeth (40) met when they were literacy

volunteers in New York City. With vague plans
to teach and write, they moved to Vermont in

’ 1996. Within weeks, a small cottage - at vari-

ous times home to. amarket, ajcafé, and the
post office — came up for rent in Charlotte.
Josie and Elizabeth wondered how this space
might be maintained as a gathering place for
the community. Ten weeks later, without a

_ business background between them, they

opened the bookstore.

_ Now in its eighth year, The Flying
Pig has seen its first young ci1sto'mers go off to
college. “It’s phenomenal to see kids grow,” _
Leavitt says, smiling as she recalls a child who
fondly called the store “Josie’s House.”
Theyive watched little readers grow up, and
they know each of their customers by name.
Not surprisingly, this one-room establishment
has a loyal client base. They know it’s summer
when certain families walk through the door,
just off the ferry and headed to camp. When _
kids come in to buy gifts for a birthday party,
Josie and Elizabeth make careful recommenda-

VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN

 

. tions so the birthdaychild does not receive

duplicates‘. Try finding that attention to detail
at a box store. V e
‘ Is this tiny oasis defying the trend of

the monster book stores? Not really, Josie
reports, but sales are up a bit every year. This
colorful, fun-filled shop is bursting at the
seams with 40,000 books, including 8,000

. 7,‘.

at left: Flying Pig proprietors Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt

' titles ‘for adults. Although not often requested,
they do have gay-farnily-friendly books. Many
prices are discounted, including markdowns for
teachers, librarians, and book clubs. And they
‘will order any title you want. Although surely
the ease of Internet book-buying is competi-
tion, Josie is confident that real book lovers
will always want to hold a book, browse the

GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY

 

 

shelves, and touch the pages.
Are they following their bliss? “My
whole life has revolved around books, kids,
and writing," says Elizabeth, who was “born to
read." They are passionate about their work
and take great pride in “loving and reading the
books” that they offer. Finding the right book
for a child is a challenge and a thrill. You can
feel the enthusiasm as Bluemle remembers a
girl hugging a book, or finding just the right
story for a boy who thinks he’s not a reader.
When asked for a list of all-time favorite titles,
Elizabeth is speechless. it’s an impossible

5 question for a woman who has read thousands

of books since she picked up her first, at the
age of three.

Leavitt and Bluemle are having fun,
but it’s a lot of work too. I wonder aloud how
working and living together affects their rela-
tionship. Josie replies, as if it is obvious, “I'd
rather spend my day with Elizabeth than any-
one else.” Elizabeth is more contemplative
about their shared labor. “There’s just a balance
between us,” she says, and that rapport is pal-
pable. While being interviewed, they spar and
laugh together, actively assist several clients,
and speculate as to which of them left the stack
of Diary of Anne Frank books behind the
counter.

Both women have interests outside
the store. Josie logs volunteer hours next door
at the Charlotte Fire Department as an EMT
and is training to be a crew chief. When not in
the store or saving lives, she is enrolled in an
on-line script-writing course out of UCLA.
Elizabeth is in an MFA program, has recently
kick—started the Charlotte Town Players, and
will see her own children’s book My Father
The Dog, in print in 2005.

When asked if they are accepted in
this small town, Josie says without hesitation
“We are seen as a couple when folks want to
see us that way.” When these wonderfully
engaging women announced their Civil Union
in The Charlotte News, they received many
congratulations. Josie shrugged as she remem-

bered more than one
Take Back Vermont cont’d on p. 

Under the Same Roof: R.U.1.2? & MPM Share Space in Downtown Burlington

 

eginning on April 1, two of
Vermont’s great LGBT
resources will cohabit offices in

!_E _.. A i j

downtown Burlington. R.U.1.2?
Community Center and Mountain
Pride Media, publisher of Out In The
Mountains, are relocating to 34
Elmwood Avenue, across from the
main post office. The move makes

room for RU12?’s new services, and
with shared space and office equip-
ment, bothorganizations will maxi-
mize their resources.

After 18 months of discus-
sion, the relocation became a neces-

sity when R.U.1.2? recently received
funding for two initiatives. The new
programs, www.VTM4M.net and the
David Bohnett Cyber Center, will
greatly expand the community cen-
ter’s services. The cyber center,

opening in June with eight computer
stations, will be available for public

use, including low-cost or free com-
puter access, classes, and tutoring. A

newly acquired
contract with the cont’d on p. 3

V News 1-3
V Editorial 4
Y _..I-e,tter$,.._5'-2 A.

 

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