Kristen Bass
Staff Writer
Doug and Cathy Terranova are the owners of the local bookshop, Book and Banter. They hope their blended bookstore will be more than just an outlet. They want their store educate people and to meet the needs of their customers.
Cathy believes that in order for a privately owned bookstore to be successful it has to give back to the community.
“I always say, ‘you don’t have to know, but you have to know who knows,” Cathy said.
Books and Banter wants to be the place that knows, according to Cathy. Her and her husband try to keep up with trends, and they listen to what authors and books people are interested in.
The couple believes it’s important to be active in the community, so each month Books and Banter hosts different events to engage the people of Lawton.
At 7 p.m. on Oct.15 Books and Banter hosted there Rett-Syndrome event; October is Rett-Syndrome awareness month.
Rett-Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that mostly affects girls. There will be normal development followed by a slowing of development in movements, brain growth, seizures and intellectual disability.
According to Cathy, October is usually dedicated to breast cancer awareness, which is equally important, but so many people don’t know what Rett-Syndrome is.
“They’ve shown a lot of promise in the research department,” Cathy said. “They’ve actually reversed it in mice. So they’re working on how to replicate that.”
In January, Doug and Cathy hope to start a tutoring after school program and eventually a GED prep class and teaching English as a second language.
Last week, Books and Banter collected funds to donate to Mercy Seat Ministries to help raise awareness of human trafficking to the Lawton Community.
Cathy desires for people’s perception to change about Lawton. When someone in the Lawton area is asked about the small town, most people reply with a negative response, according to Cathy. Doug and Cathy want to change those perceptions by doing what they can to offer different outlets either through books or events.
“I believe that for a small business to work, it needs to be giving back to the community that, that it’s in,” Doug said. “A part of a purpose of a small business is to contribute to a community.”
Books and Banter is located at 331 SW C Ave. If students need more information they can contact Doug or Cathy at 580-699-8883, or they can find Books and Banter on Facebook.