Blue Marble’s New Owners Have High Energy and Plans to Keep a Tradition Alive and Growing

Story and photos by Chuck Keller, Writer

Dr. Suess (AKA Theodor Seuss Geisel) remarked that, “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.” That could very well become the guiding principle for the new owners of the Blue Marble bookstore located on South Fort Thomas Avenue across from the YMCA.

The new owners are sisters Emily O’Hearn and Allyson Rowh and they are a dynamic, energetic, visionary pair. Even though Emily lives around the corner from the store and Allyson lives in Atlanta, owning a bookstore fulfills a desire to make a positive impact on the community. Their family instilled in them the value of being involved in the community whether through volunteering or business. There was always the expectation to make the world better.

The sisters grew up in Cincinnati, but their careers and adventures took them around the country. As a result of those experiences, they had a pretty good idea of what they valued in a community so when Emily and her husband, Patrick, landed in Fort Thomas they knew that they landed somewhere good. They found their home.

After they moved to town, she works as a nurse and her husband is a pharmacist, someone asked Emily if she had been to the Blue Marble with her children and “that was the end of that” she said. Her son knew the way to the store from around the corner when he “could barely toddle,” she laughed.

The store had been for sale for a while and Emily and Allyson talked about what it would be like to own a children’s oriented bookstore. Allyson said that when they eventually told their husbands about buying the bookstore they expected some resistance. Instead they both said something along the lines of, “Okay, that makes a lot of sense,”  Allyson recalled. The sisters didn’t have to convince them because they saw their passion and commitment. Dreams and talk soon turned to action and the deal was made in under six months. They took ownership in March and the ribbon cutting was March 20.

We sat down for this interview the next day at Fort Thomas Coffee and I was not only impressed with their energy but also with their understanding of the community and vision for the future. The dedicated staff will remain and Caroline Stine will carry on as manager. Stine said, “The Blue Marble is a special, special place. There’s a reason we have little to no employee turnover and folks work there for decades. We are making a difference and creating strong readers who can and will change their world for the better.”

Allyson said, “I do want to toot Caroline’s horn a little but….Caroline has imbued that store with an entire community and new life.… We don’t want to give the impression that we are doing this alone. The staff is all very excited about expanding and they have ideas about what they want to move forward. They have a ton of energy and they’re willing to put into it and all of our extended family is interested in being involved.”

It’s always uplifting to see a new generation discover the joy that you perhaps experienced as a child. Caroline observed that “I am thrilled to see this precious community staple continue for another generation. In addition, I could not be more pleased to see Tina’s credo that ‘Every child should be able to come to the Blue Marble and find themselves in a book, regardless of who they are,’ taken and uplifted by capable hands.” The future is inspired by the past. Tina Moore was the founder, visionary, and creative soul behind the bookstore until her passing.

Emily said, “We are very, very dedicated to the idea of community spaces and community. We both are. We’ve grown up doing that.” It was part of their family DNA. Give to the community. Make it a better place. Care for others.

Emily remarked that what they like about the Blue Marble is that “children can  engage in the intellectual in exploring new ideas. You know, kids should be able to explore lots of different new ideas.”

Allyson is a physician at Emory in Atlanta. She revealed an epiphany regarding children’s literature.  She said that she had to read very specific texts. “And when I was finally able to make some choices about what I was reading again after medical school and residency. I had kids and so I was reading children’s literature. All of a sudden, I realized that there’s a spectrum and some children’s literature really makes me think.” Her children would get one thing out of a book but she would get something different because many of those books move on different levels so easily. Good children’s literature can prepare a reader for life’s celebrations, disappointments, pitfalls, and epiphanies.

Allyson said “I am a scientist deep down and the way that I envision the future is through what the community wants from the bookstore. So I’ve drafted a community needs assessment” which will ask what the community wants.

They tossed around ideas like a toddler reading time, a new parent support group, and community building events. “The whole point is that we want to build that space. We want the community to decide what that space brings in and what it looks like,” she said. 

The tradition of the Blue Marble continues and its future is certainly exciting.