It's been a month of celebration for The Muse's 30th anniversary in Downtown DeLand

PHOTO COURTESY MIKE GREBOSZ
The Muse Book Shop Day — During the July 6 DeLand City Commission meeting, Mayor Bob Apgar, left, presents Muse Book Shop proprietor Janet Bollum with a proclamation honoring the Muse's 30 years of service to the DeLand community.

BEACON PHOTO/MARSHA MCLAUGHLIN
Young artists at work — Mya Cloud, left, Angela Sleeper, Leah Harrington and Zoee Metts, take a bow with their tutor, artist Sherrill Schoening at The Muse Book Shop July 9. The young artists, ages 8-13, had just completed a mural celebrating books and imagination — and a pathway to reading in many lands.

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Jul 27, 2010 - 2:02:15pm

The bindings of some of the books are a bit worn and faded with age. Brightly colored softbacks — mysteries by Florida authors, adventures, vampire tales, journals, children's stories and how-to books — adorn other shelves.

The Muse Book Shop, on the Boulevard in Downtown DeLand, turned 30 this month.

"We opened on July 1, 1980," proprietor Janet Bollum said.

That was just up the street from the shop's current location of 112 S. Woodland Blvd.

Bollum has raised her children and made her life in Downtown DeLand.

A series of fortunate events (to twist the title of a Lemony Snicket book) led Bollum and her now ex-husband, Keith, to DeLand.

The pair had been living and teaching in Melbourne, Australia, for two years. The climate is very like Florida's. Then, they went to Minnesota.

"After the fifth or sixth blizzard ... ," Janet said, pausing to think. The couple decided to pursue their dream of opening a bookstore. But elsewhere.

Janet's mother had moved to Orlando in 1979. The Bollums came to visit, and to scout for a bookshop location.

A shop called McVicker's Books, Cards and Gifts was available on the Boulevard in DeLand. The Bollums took it, and removed the cards and gifts. The new Muse Book Shop carried a mixture of antiquarian and modern books. Keith was an expert in antiquarian books.

"A chosen old book is the best gift in the whole, wide world," Janet said.

Janet and Keith divorced later, and Janet continued with the book business.

How did the Muse name come about?

Janet learned that DeLand is known as "the Athens of Florida," and kept the name in the Greek family.

In Greek mythology, nine muses inspire artists, writers and poets.

In 1985, Janet remodeled the building that's currently home to The Muse. She was pregnant with daughter Ella at the time.

"She grew up in the bookstore," Janet said.

Janet also got involved with the newly sprouting MainStreet DeLand Association, serving on its coordinating committee. She was the association's president in 2008.

It is the Downtown, the MainStreet community that Janet credits with helping her stay in business through the years.

"We're really fortunate in our Downtown. A lot of downtowns are dying — ours is not."

MainStreet programs such as Tropical Nights, celebrated on July 16 this year, and other community events have helped The Muse and other businesses succeed.

Plus, "Every business is unique and locally owned," with few exceptions, Janet said.

Members of this community support each other. It's led to Downtown becoming the place to be.

"When you go out to have a glass of wine, a nice dinner and listen to some music, where do you go? Downtown," she answered herself.

Downtown has been an incubator of new businesses. Janet said.

During its July 6 meeting, the DeLand City Commission recognized The Muse's contributions to the Downtown business community with a proclamation.

Janet isn't sitting on her laurels, however.

She's working with local artist Sherrill Schoening, who will open a mini-studio in The Muse. Book patrons will be able to observe an artist at work as they browse. Schoening's specialty is tropical imagery.

July 5-9, Schoening conducted a mural-painting workshop for children, painting a wall inside The Muse. The four young artists researched book titles in the shop to inspire the mural — a combination of art and literature.

The Muse continues to be a mainstay of the DeLand community.

— pat@beacononlinenewscom

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