They don't have a coffee or ice cream bar, and they don't have a music section. So what keeps people coming back to the corner book store on the Square in Georgetown, Texas?

"Ambience," answers Margarite Holt thoughtfully when posed the question on what's had her Hill Country Bookstore happily ensconced on the corner of Eighth and Main Streets, ten years this past July. "Of course, you can browse at any store, but it really is quiet here. And we have knowledgeable staff who can answer your questions or find the answers if we don't know them. You can get discounted best-sellers at the grocery and at You-Know-Who across the highway, but nobody's going to special-order a book for you there. Or answer your questions. Or have our selection."

What kind of help does Hill Country provide for its customers?

"Georgetown and Williamson County have experienced tremendous growth over the past ten or fifteen years. People have moved in from everywhere, and they want to know about this place where they've come to live. They come to us and our Texana section to learn about the state and this area. Our selection is great. And since we're neighbors, we're right here in the community, it's like the settled neighbors showing the newcomers the ropes."

Some of those new neighbors include many who have retired to the Sun Belt, doesn't it?

"Yes, and many of them want to stay in touch with their children and grandchildren with the gift of books. We are very proud of the award-winning books in our children's section. Our children's books are some of our biggest sellers."

You have another source of affection from a local group. You're a sort of champion of the local writer, aren't you?

Margarite tilts her head a moment, as if she hadn't quite thought of it that way before. "Yes, I guess I am. Because I know how hard the book business is-I know how hard it is to get published. So when an author comes to me with a book and asks to do a signing, it's like they're bringing me their baby-how can I say, 'No, that's an ugly baby!'"

Still, when you talk about local authors, Hill Country Bookstore has some fairly big names that walk through your doors.

"True. Dave Carey has a really exciting book out right now about his experiences as a POW in Viet Nam called The Ways We Choose. Then there's Jack Terry, whose Cowboy books are perennial favorites, and Elizabeth Moon, who is the winner of this year's Nebula award in science fiction-that's really huge! And of course, Susan Wittig Albert, the mystery writer. We have a couple of shelves of her stuff.

"The biggest-selling local author might surprise you, though. It's Clara Scarbrough's Land of Good Water. When newcomers ask me for the definitive work on Georgetown and Williamson County, this is really it."

Anybody else?

"Well, Georgetown has a really active writer's group, the San Gabriel Writers' League. And several of their members have books in the store that have done quite well. Cindy Weigand's Texas Women of World War II. Joan Upton Hall and Stacey Hasbrook have a book on revived Texas theaters in our Texana section, and Joan's first novel, Arturo El Rey, has just been re-released as the first part of a trilogy. Melissa Leedom has a wonderful inspirational novel called To Forgive, Divine that's done very well, and Jim Comer has a wonderful book on caring for your elderly parents called Parenting Your Parents. I highly recommend it."

What does the future hold?

"Lots of growth, I think, for everybody. Georgetown hasn't quite peaked yet, and newcomers are still discovering us. So our clientele is still growing, I know.

"And Georgetown is really coming into its own as a tourist attraction. We have such great restaurants, and we're in such a picturesque setting. When people are done strolling around the square on a sunny weekend morning or a balmy Saturday evening, it's just a natural thing to wander into the bookstore on the corner and pick out a memento of their visit here. I think Georgetown is one of Texas' best-kept secrets-but word does seem to be getting out. Hill Country Bookstore is just a part of that.

"And if anyone needs a latte with their book, there's a coffee shop next door!"