I'm here with Ginger Kautz, the manager of Quail Ridge Books.

Ginger, the store has been here for 40 years, and very successful.

What would you say is the secret to its success?

- Honestly, it's the people who are the secret.

We were founded by Nancy Olson back in 1984.

She was a real powerhouse in Southern literature.

She connected readers and authors.

She did a lot of material support for Southern literature as well, and she really gave publishers the idea that the local independent bookstores were a valuable outlet for them.

And then it was sold to Lisa.

When Lisa found out that Nancy was looking to retire, she bought the store to make sure that that legacy was continued.

And all along the way, we've just had phenomenal booksellers who are puttin' the books in people's hands.

[soft guitar music] - [Deborah] Well, book selling is very competitive with online book sales.

So how do you remain competitive, and more importantly, why is it so important to buy local?

- Yes, when you buy locally, you are supporting your local community in a number of ways.

So there's a societal impact.

Like, we live and work here, our taxes for both the store and our employees stay in the community, and we spend our money, from our wages here, in the community.

And then on a more selfish level for the readers, when you are shopping locally, you're connecting with another person.

So there's always that chance of meeting another customer who's read a book that you loved or a bookseller who's like, "Oh, you liked that?

I loved that, try this one next."

And you're bringing those authors in.

We get a lot of author tours, which are because they know that people will turn out in person, and you can't as easily visit an author through the websites.

- Well, Ginger, I really enjoyed my time here at Quail Ridge Books.

Thank you so much for having us.

- We were happy to have you, and please feel free to stop by any time for a new book.

- Quail Ridge Books is in the North Hills Shopping Center, at 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road in Raleigh, and they're open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, give them a call at 919-828-1588, or go online to quailridgebooks.com.