Former teacher opens bookstore in downtown Vermillion

Outside of a Dog Books & Games is an independent bookstore that sells games, gifts and hosts different events for the Vermillion community.

Prior to opening day on Nov. 20, 2021, bookstore owner Mike Phelan did not know that one day he would be opening a bookstore in downtown Vermillion. For most of Phelan’s career he was a teacher. 

“I spent most of my career as a teacher at all different levels. From sixth grade up through teaching linguistics at Ohio State University for nine years,” Phelan said.

After noticing that there was not a literary bookstore in a college town, it was Phelan’s wife Jennifer who came up with the idea to open one. There was a lot to learn in the process of opening a store, how to sell the products and finding a physical space. 

Phelan was able to receive help from the Vermillion community and the Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company. By creating a crowd-funding campaign, Phelan asked for support from the community.

“We had people donate just a few bucks to help us get one more book on the shelf,” Phelan said.

Outside of a Dog was able to raise over $12,000 to get their store started. To say thank you to the people who donated, the store is decorated with pictures of dogs owned by the donors.

The name Outside of a Dog comes from a quote by Groucho Marx, “outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

Outside of a Dog has a large collection of games to play and buy. The collection varies from two person games, group games, games that take an hour and even some that might take six months. To help customers learn more about the games being sold, the store plans to host game nights. 

Customers can stop by and play for free then get a discount if they buy that day.

Along with game nights, Phelan also plans to do more events like author events, in-store poetry and open mic nights. 

“We would love for college students to come check us out,” Phelan said.