FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND CHRISTINE BORDER, OWNER OF THE LITTLE GREEN BOOKSTORE IN ZELIENOPLE. | PHOTO COURTESY THE LITTLE GREEN BOOKSTORE

Independent bookstores can be irresistible for true book lovers, and that includes former U.S. presidents.

On Saturday, Christine Border, owner of The Little Green Bookstore in Zelienople, got a major surprise when Bill Clinton, who was on his way to speak on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign at the nearby Steamfitters Local 449 in Jackson Township, stopped by the bookstore after spotting it from aboard the tour bus.

In a social media post beginning “Dear Reader,” Border described the impromptu visit, which saw the driver turning around the enormous bus on Zelienople’s Main Street to accommodate Clinton.

“I did not know this was coming. It was not planned. It was not a campaign stop,” Border wrote. “It was a stop for an avid reader/author to stop by and talk books. And we did! And it was lovely.”

Border said neither politics, nor Clinton’s recent campaign stops, were discussed. Instead, she and the former president spoke about their love for reading while making book recommendations to each other.

While Clinton bought “The Twist of the Knife” by Anthony Horowitz, he took up Border on her suggestion of “Middle of the Night” by Riley Sager.

“As we walked around the store, all we talked about was books,” Border told Pittsburgh Magazine. “It was just such a normal experience. It was just like talking to anyone who wanted to come in the store and talk about books.”

Border noted Trump supporters were in town Saturday holding a popup rally at the same time Clinton was scheduled to give his speech at the local union. However, as the former president hopped back on the campaign bus, new books in hand, he shook hands with Trump supporters, many of whom were wearing red Make America Great Again hats.

“They came over and thanked him for his service,” Border says.

As she noted in her social media post, political affiliations have never been the vibe at The Little Green Bookstore.

“We don’t do politics in this store,” she wrote. “We believe the store brings an escape to both sides during this crazy time. All the people in the store vote differently than one another…most likely during that moment half and half…just like our community is.”

While campaign stops (even unexpected ones) can bring a crush of positive and negative attention to a business, responses to The Little Green Bookstore have thus far been cordial.

Border’s Facebook post, which included a photo of her inside the store with the former president, has close to 100 supportive comments. As of Monday, it also had more than 500 positive likes and was shared 45 times. There was an equally benevolent response on the store’s Instagram page.

Border also encouraged followers to put aside their politics, grab a book and instead look for opportunities to connect with one another, “that’s what I got to do today!” she wrote.

“What an unbelievable moment,” she continued. “What I do matters. It matters to the community who support the store and it matters to all of the readers who support me. Well read people get the importance of independent bookstores!”