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| Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough | |
Willard and Holly Williams, owners of the Toadstool Bookshops in southern N.H., have sold the Peterborough and Keene stores to Emerson Sistare and his parents, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript reported.
Sistare, a former teacher who grew up in N.H. and frequently visited the bookshops with his family, has spent the last few months learning the ropes from the previous owners. The staff of both the Peterborough and Keene locations will stay on, and he told the Ledger-Transcript that his goal "is to continue the tradition of exceptional literary service and personal service that Willard and Holly have ingrained in the community."
The Williamses, meanwhile, will retain ownership of the Toadstool Bookshop location in Nashua, N.H., which they've renamed Balin Books. The Williams family founded the original Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough in 1972.
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| Emerson Sistare | |
"I spent so much time there as a kid," said Sistare, who grew up in Petersborough, Jaffrey and Dublin. "It had a huge impact on the trajectory of my life."
He recalled visiting the Toadstool Bookshop after going to church with his grandmother as well as staying up for midnight releases of Harry Potter. Sistare lived outside of New Hampshire for a number of years, and he said that seeing the Toadstool always felt like coming home.
Sistare called the bookselling learning curve "very steep," though working with the Williamses and the team they assembled has been "unbelievably exciting." He noted that his favorite moments in the store are when children come in, particularly when they are with their grandparents.
He added: "To get to provide a space where memories get to be made is a rare opportunity and a blessing. I feel very, very lucky."