Village Lights Bookstore

Village Lights opened as a bricks-and-mortar shop in November of 2008 We are a quintessential "mom & pop" business, locally owned and independent, and the proprietors, Nathan Montoya and Anne Vestuto, live above the shop. Come visit us on Main Street in the heart of downtown Madison, Indiana, the country's largest contiguous National Historic Landmark District and a Designated Indiana Cultural District, on the banks of the beautiful Ohio River.

To be more precise, he rolled up to the front curb under the hood of local musician John Sheckler's red roadster. Our ears were assailed with a great screaming, and crying, and yowling. What fearsome beast lurked before our door? The hood was popped open to reveal a tiny, scrawny, ginger-orange kitten.

It is with heavy hearts that we have seen the passing of our beloved kitty, Oscar Wilde. He came to us off the street eleven years ago, as we were in the midst of restoring our building and creating the bookstore that our friends and customers now know. He became woven into the fabric of our shop and our lives.

It is with deep sadness that we have seen the peaceful passing of our beloved fur-person, Alistair B. Toklas. Alice succumbed to renal failure and has gone to rest in a forest glade in the hills of Brown County. Thank you, little Al, for all of the joy you brought to us and the patrons of our bookstore.

For every $100 you spend at an independently owned business, $68 will stay in the community. Did you know that when you spend the same amount at a national chain, only $43 stays in the community? When you buy from an online megaseller, it drops to $0.

Local businesses like Village Lights employ local people - they hire people who could be your neighbors, which pumps money directly back into the immediate surroundings, and keeps your tax dollars local.All this makes an independently owned business a part of the fabric of your community, helping to make the neighborhood more interesting and unique - buying at local businesses ensures a strong and vibrant community.