Meet the Artist: Kenneth L. Keith

I'm a lover of books as much as puzzles, and independent bookstores — especially those that also sell jigsaw puzzles — make my little heart sing. Since the advent of Amazon, rumor had it that the indie bookstore was a relic that wouldn't survive. Book lovers like myself watched in despair as the little bookshops we'd patronized disappeared from both small towns and big cities. We lamented that the only places left to buy books (and puzzles) seemed to be megastores and online malls. More recently, though, I've witnessed a resurgence of quality bookshops with intrepid owners who weren't willing to hoist a white flag even while stores were closed during the pandemic.

In my quest to find local outlets for TOOZLE puzzles, I've had the privilege of discovering that the Midwest holds more than 200 charming indie bookshops! Stop in at your own local independent bookseller and ask for the Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap. These small booksellers have so much more to offer than books, as author Julie Rosenberg, M.D. points out in an article in Writer's Digest. (She doesn't mention puzzles, but many small booksellers do sell them.)

This past weekend, I had the joyful experience of visiting Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa. Owner Kate Nelson Rattenborg chose two of our puzzles for her shop. In the image above, she's holding Fireworks in Space, a NASA image of the Carina Nebula, and A New Day, a fantasy landscape by artist Judy Lustok Lessin. We're delighted not only to have our puzzles in Kate's store, but also to be a part of helping this awesome woman-owned business serve its customers.

As some of you know, we're already selling TOOZLE puzzles at Sidekick Coffee & Books in Iowa City, Iowa's University Heights and at Next Page Books in Cedar Rapids, IA. We're on a mission to connect with as many indie bookstores as we can, and we hope you'll support them, too. Sure, our bottom line is a bit higher when you buy from us directly, but we are genuinely delighted when you buy from the retailers who support us.