Independent Bookstore Feature: Caramel Crisp Bookstore

Independent booksellers are the bloodline of stories, bringing them from warehouses to shelves right in your neighborhood. More than that, they become community centers where like-minded folks gather at bookish events.

The Lakeshore community is home to several independent bookstores. Each has its distinctive personality, and all carry the common theme—literacy is good for the community.

Fresh Water Press caught up with Chanda Anderson, owner of Caramel Crisp Bookstore, a bookstore in Oshkosh. The store prides itself in supporting local authors. Caramel Crisp has something for everyone: in addition to being a bookstore, it’s also a café, gift shop, and toy store!

FWP: Why did you decide to open a bookstore? How long have you been in business?

Chanda: Caramel Crisp Bookstore is the latest addition to Caramel Crisp Corner, which also houses a café, gift shop, and toy store. When COVID hit, we had an ice cream and candy shop and play area adjacent to the kids’ book and toy store. We were unable to socially distance, so it remained closed. During that year, like everyone, we changed a lot of things and decided to do a “pop-up” bookstore and see how things went. I love bookstores. It was a perfect complement to the café: my husband is an avid reader, plus I thought it would be a good addition to Oshkosh’s downtown. So, in 2020 we ordered books and shelves and opened up the Caramel Crisp Bookstore! Once things started to get back to normal post-shutdown, we had already problem-solved moving the ice cream back to the café counter, we phased out our candy store, and the dine-in seating was somewhat reduced. Plus, we LOVED our little bookstore! So we ordered more shelves, built a lot of custom shelves, and kept ordering more and more books. And here we are!

FWP: Do you specialize in anything special or unique?

Chanda: Caramel Crisp Bookstore is very proud of our support for local authors—we have more than one hundred Wisconsin writers featured in our store as of April 2026! We showcase these authors at books signings and author events throughout the year. We are a small, independent bookstore but carry a wide selection of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, along with many bookish delights, such as bookmarks, journals, and original book art. We present several “blind date with a book” events throughout the year, as well as other literary-themed events, like Harry Potter’s birthday, a local author children’s book fair, and The Little Bookshop of Horrors in October!

FWP: What are the top things you look at when deciding what books to stock, which to face display?

Chanda: While we of course pay close attention to the “hot” bestsellers and make sure to have them in the store, we always listen to our customers and will often stock something more “off the beaten track” if it has been recommended to us. We are also always on the lookout for books by local authors to add to our collection. Every member of our bookstore team is encouraged to recommend books to be featured in our inventory. We label our “staff picks” with special bookmarks and often face them out so they stand out as customers are shopping.

Are you a bookstore owner? Fresh Water Press would love to feature your story. Do you have a favorite bookstore you’d like to learn more about? Let us know at contact@freshwaterpressllc.com, and we’ll reach out to request an interview.