Cupboard Maker Books--A Friend to Furry Felines

A Friend to Felines: Enola Bookstore Pairs Laps with Cats and a Good Book

Cats and books seem to go together like hot chocolate and marshmallows and one local business has proven to be a friend of felines since 2011. Riley Haring, son to owners Michelle and Jason Haring, said that in the beginning, it was a choice between coffee and cats. “The cats won out,” he said.

“We try to keep the number of cats who live here permanently at three: Odin, Annika and Mouse,” said Olivia Kepler, who has been working at Cupboard Maker Books for about a year now.

Last year the bookstore with the unique name celebrated 25 years in business, which proves the Harings are doing something right. The moniker harkens back to Jason’s business as a craftsman who sold custom-built hand-painted furniture. Jason more recently retired from a job at a local car dealership, to become, as he puts it, an official “cat wrangler.” Over the years Jason used his talent to build bookcase after bookcase as they continued to expand. His custom cat runs allow their four-legged friends to jump, run, climb and enjoy a full life surrounded by books and doting customers.

How It Began

The Harings started out with a very small footprint at 16 Juniata Avenue in Enola. As avid book readers, the couple had enough inventory to get started, but quickly outgrew that space and moved again, this time just a block south of their current building at 157 N. Enola Road.

By the fall of 2003, they were ready to move again, this time to where they are today. “We looked at 15 different properties before choosing one that was big, ugly and affordable,” said Jason, who painted book spines on the building to help it stand out to passersby. Kristian Beverly, an employee at the time, finished the art and the lettering.
“We painted BOOKS all over the building and from then on, 10,000 books walked through the front door every month,” Jason said.

The couple’s inventory today is estimated at approximately 100,000 used books, along with a smaller selection of new.

Getting the Word Out

The couple has had no trouble getting the word out, with a little help from their furry feline friends. They reached out via social media with amusing and engaging cat videos on a regular basis. Some have even gone viral, grabbing the attention of late-night talk-show hosts. “One morning I woke up and my phone was blowing up. I discovered that our cat Odin made an appearance on Taylor Tomlinson’s After Midnight show,” Michelle said, adding that Newsweek came calling after one video received 4.2 million views.

The Harings also attract attention by taking cats on excursions to show their support for other local businesses. Queen Annika has recently been spotted at Enola’s Whistle Stop, Carlisle’s Destiny Dairy Farm and at 3B Ice Cream in Duncannon sipping a shake.

If that’s not enough to generate attention, the couple tools around town in brightly colored cars containing pawprints and the name of their business, along with cat characters with names like Prince Fluffytail, which touts a book written by the couple’s son Riley. Those who have been frequenting the store for years may remember first meeting Riley as an infant. Riley grew up around books, literally and “worked” with his mother behind the front counter cooing in a bassinet. Today he’s all grown up and is penning children’s books with titles like, Prince Fluffytail Chases a Dragon. “It illustrates the bookstore through the unique perspective of a cat,” said Riley, adding that when Fluffytail tries to escape through a hidden portal (the front door of the shop) he is assaulted by the rain of 1,000 storms (a spray bottle).

Another book Riley has queued up for a fall release is Mouse, Odin and the River Pirates inspired by the nearby Susquehanna River and the bookstore cats.

Castaway Critters

On any given day, customers are likely to see several cats who are up for adoption. The bookstore posts pictures on social media of those who are up for adoption and taking up temporary residence at Cupboard Maker Books. “Sometimes we even get some with disabilities,” said Kepler, adding that a three-legged cat and her brother were adopted together.

Kim Cassel, who is a cat foster, said that the Harings have been fantastic friends to fur babies. “It’s a great venue for our kitties to be seen and get adopted,” she said, adding that people from all over come to buy books and play with cats. “Nothing is better than a good book with a kitty on your lap to help you read,” she said.

As for the Harings, they said they are all very thankful to have the opportunity to do what they can to help homeless cats find their furever homes. “Books, cats and community,” that’s what we’re all about,” said Michelle.

Cupboard Maker Books is located at 157 North Enola Road, Enola. Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CupboardMakerBooks, or visit their website at https://www.cupboardmaker.com