Midtown bookstore enchants nonfiction lovers for over decade

Janet Webster Jones shares passion for reading with Source Booksellers customers

DETROIT – Janet Webster Jones is a fixture in metro Detroit. The daughter of a librarian, her love of books blossomed at a young age.

"We had the wonderful experience and opportunity to walk to the library every Saturday, get books, walk back and read them all week long, so books have always been in my life," Jones said.

Jones' love for learning lead her on a study trip to Egypt in the 1980s. She was often asked to speak about what she learned.

With reference books in hand, she soon became known as "The Book Lady."

"I would always bring books with me to document some of the things that I was saying about that ancient civilization," said Jones.

"When people say, 'Well, books are a thing of the past, you know, we have computers now,' how do you respond to that?" asked Mitch Albom.

"Well, I ask, 'Who are you and how did you get that information?'" Jones said, laughing.

After retiring from Detroit Public Schools, she decided to open her own store in Midtown. Source Booksellers has been enchanting nonfiction lovers for more than a decade.

"I always say that people never left the bookstores; the big box bookstores left the people," said Jones.

Jones refuses to operate that way. Instead she embraces the Detroit community and the chance to affect it.

Four or five times a month Jones offers free events that expand the mind and lift the spirit.

"I love the fact that books can take you to places that you don't have to have been there to know about," said Jones. "They have a personality. Books are very friendly."

Sharing a passion for reading with her customers, Jones is building a legacy one page at a time in the heart of Detroit.

Heart of Detroit