Anne Laird is adjusting to her new role at the Town Book Store in
Westfield, N.J.: being the boss. Laird worked at the store part-time
for six years before purchasing the business from Grace Roth, who had
owned it for a decade.
Along with a change in ownership, the Town Book Store has a new location. Customers should have no trouble finding the shop, though, which is across the street from the building where it was previously housed. A steep rent increase necessitated the move, and the bookstore is now situated in a former library built in 1906, one of the many funded by Andrew Carnegie.
Other retailers in the building are an antiques stores and a dress shop. The proprietor of the dress shop, Felice Cohen, owns the building and was instrumental in making it possible for the bookstore to remain in town. Cohen offered a rent "that we can live with," said Laird, and she also held the space for several months while the Town Book Store was in transition. "She has been a literary godsend," Roth said of Cohen, whose late husband was a strong supporter of small business.
The change of venue is a chance for a fresh start for Laird, who admits that her current vocation is an unexpected one. When Roth announced last summer that she would be selling the store to spend more time with her family, Laird was disappointed at the thought of losing a job she enjoyed but did not consider pursuing it further--until the evening she was out for a stroll with her husband, who brought up the possibility of her buying the store. "It didn't enter my mind that it would be something I could fit into my life," said Laird, a lifelong Westfield resident and a mother of three. "I'm the kind of person who needs time to adjust to an idea," she added, but after mulling it over and discussing it with Roth, she "decided to go for it."
Aside from her personal interest in having the store remain open, Laird didn't want to see the community lose a vital resource. Many independent retailers in Westfield have been replaced with chain stores like Ann Taylor, Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Eileen Fisher and Express, leading to what Roth described as a "mall town." The Town Book Store has been a fixture in Westfield for more than 70 years, and Laird is the store's sixth owner.
Laird and Roth, who is staying on two days a week at the store, worked to make the transition seamless for customers. The day after Roth closed up shop in the old location, Laird opened the doors to the store's new space on January 6. "Opening day was phenomenal," said Laird, who was unsure whether to attribute the enthusiastic response to excitement about the store staying in town or to the balmy 72-degree weather. "We had people waiting in line to check out," she said, "which usually only happens at Christmas time." For the opening day festivities, Laird provided refreshments and raffled off gift baskets. Themed baskets included a selection of kids books, a copy of an Andrew Carnegie biography and 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die along with tomes from the list.
Customers seem unfazed about the behind-the-scenes changes, Laird said. "People love the switch in roles," she continued. "They think it's fun." What is stopping customers in their tracks is the store's new look. "They walk in the door," said Laird, "and their mouths drop open." Why such a dramatic reaction? Although the size of the store decreased by about 25 square feet, it has a much different layout. The previous location was a long, narrow space with windows at only the front and back of the store and nowhere to sit. The shape of the current site "is more of a square," said Laird, with an abundance of windows. A reading room with leather seating offers a respite for shoppers, and a children's area has a table and chairs.
Title selection has remained largely the same; Laird kept three-quarters of Roth's inventory and has supplemented it. "One of the biggest challenges is trying to figure out what to bring in the store," she said. "With only 1,200 square feet you can't be indiscriminate about what you bring in."
Laird hasn't missed a beat holding in-store events, and a packed line-up for February and March includes appearances by Annie Modesitt, co-author of Men Who Knit & the Dogs Who Love Them; Jeff Markowitz, author of A Minor Case of Murder; and Arlene Matthews, author of Getting in Without Freaking Out: The Official College Admissions Guide for Overwhelmed Parents. Laird recently had a new computer system installed with Anthology software, and in the coming months she plans to revamp the store's Web site and "News and Notes" newsletter.
There's one more thing on Laird's to-do list--watching You've Got Mail. Customers have been comparing the Town Book Store to the shop owned by Meg Ryan's character in the movie. "I know I saw it years ago," said Laird, "but obviously at the time I had no idea what my future was going to be."--Shannon McKenna
The Town Book Store is located at 270 East Broad St., Westfield, N.J.; 908-233-3535; the store's Web site is www.townbookstore.com.
Along with a change in ownership, the Town Book Store has a new location. Customers should have no trouble finding the shop, though, which is across the street from the building where it was previously housed. A steep rent increase necessitated the move, and the bookstore is now situated in a former library built in 1906, one of the many funded by Andrew Carnegie.
Other retailers in the building are an antiques stores and a dress shop. The proprietor of the dress shop, Felice Cohen, owns the building and was instrumental in making it possible for the bookstore to remain in town. Cohen offered a rent "that we can live with," said Laird, and she also held the space for several months while the Town Book Store was in transition. "She has been a literary godsend," Roth said of Cohen, whose late husband was a strong supporter of small business.
The change of venue is a chance for a fresh start for Laird, who admits that her current vocation is an unexpected one. When Roth announced last summer that she would be selling the store to spend more time with her family, Laird was disappointed at the thought of losing a job she enjoyed but did not consider pursuing it further--until the evening she was out for a stroll with her husband, who brought up the possibility of her buying the store. "It didn't enter my mind that it would be something I could fit into my life," said Laird, a lifelong Westfield resident and a mother of three. "I'm the kind of person who needs time to adjust to an idea," she added, but after mulling it over and discussing it with Roth, she "decided to go for it."
Aside from her personal interest in having the store remain open, Laird didn't want to see the community lose a vital resource. Many independent retailers in Westfield have been replaced with chain stores like Ann Taylor, Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Eileen Fisher and Express, leading to what Roth described as a "mall town." The Town Book Store has been a fixture in Westfield for more than 70 years, and Laird is the store's sixth owner.
Laird and Roth, who is staying on two days a week at the store, worked to make the transition seamless for customers. The day after Roth closed up shop in the old location, Laird opened the doors to the store's new space on January 6. "Opening day was phenomenal," said Laird, who was unsure whether to attribute the enthusiastic response to excitement about the store staying in town or to the balmy 72-degree weather. "We had people waiting in line to check out," she said, "which usually only happens at Christmas time." For the opening day festivities, Laird provided refreshments and raffled off gift baskets. Themed baskets included a selection of kids books, a copy of an Andrew Carnegie biography and 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die along with tomes from the list.
Customers seem unfazed about the behind-the-scenes changes, Laird said. "People love the switch in roles," she continued. "They think it's fun." What is stopping customers in their tracks is the store's new look. "They walk in the door," said Laird, "and their mouths drop open." Why such a dramatic reaction? Although the size of the store decreased by about 25 square feet, it has a much different layout. The previous location was a long, narrow space with windows at only the front and back of the store and nowhere to sit. The shape of the current site "is more of a square," said Laird, with an abundance of windows. A reading room with leather seating offers a respite for shoppers, and a children's area has a table and chairs.
Title selection has remained largely the same; Laird kept three-quarters of Roth's inventory and has supplemented it. "One of the biggest challenges is trying to figure out what to bring in the store," she said. "With only 1,200 square feet you can't be indiscriminate about what you bring in."
Laird hasn't missed a beat holding in-store events, and a packed line-up for February and March includes appearances by Annie Modesitt, co-author of Men Who Knit & the Dogs Who Love Them; Jeff Markowitz, author of A Minor Case of Murder; and Arlene Matthews, author of Getting in Without Freaking Out: The Official College Admissions Guide for Overwhelmed Parents. Laird recently had a new computer system installed with Anthology software, and in the coming months she plans to revamp the store's Web site and "News and Notes" newsletter.
There's one more thing on Laird's to-do list--watching You've Got Mail. Customers have been comparing the Town Book Store to the shop owned by Meg Ryan's character in the movie. "I know I saw it years ago," said Laird, "but obviously at the time I had no idea what my future was going to be."--Shannon McKenna
The Town Book Store is located at 270 East Broad St., Westfield, N.J.; 908-233-3535; the store's Web site is www.townbookstore.com.