Golden Hour Books has opened at 181 Broadway, Newburgh, N.Y. The Highlands Current reported that owner Angie Venezia "wants to get it right. Along with excitement, she feels the responsibility that comes with opening the first independent bookstore in the City of Newburgh in at least 25 years."
"It's nerve-wracking," Venezia said. "Because bookstores mean so much to many people, it feels like there is so much at stake, especially in a city that doesn't have one."
Venezia and her husband, Reed Loar, moved to Newburgh three years ago during the pandemic shutdown. She had spent 14 years in publishing, most recently in publicity for imprints of Knopf Doubleday and Penguin Random House, and when she noticed there was no independent bookstore in town, she decided to open one. After months of scouting a location, rebuilding the interior, adding furniture, and placing the initial book orders, Golden Hour Books launched two months ago.
Regarding the store's name, Venezia said, "I was thinking river, sun, horizon. I love the 'golden hour' in Newburgh. It's a beautiful time of the day, with the light cutting through the brick buildings. My neighbors here are the friendliest people, thrilled to have a bookstore."
She added that her time in the publishing industry gave her a foundation: "I know quite a lot about books that have come out over the past 15 years, and I have a handle on the new books coming out that our customers might be interested in and should read. I want to establish our point of view here, and there's an incredible backlist out there."
Golden Hour stocks new and used books, which Venezia said makes the store "a place that is affordable but is also somewhere to shop for new releases.... All categories are curated thoughtfully, not in order of any kind of hierarchy, but visually organized. The store is a very small space and I intentionally opened without it brimming with books. I wanted to see what customers would want before filling up."
Venezia observed that for now she is taking it slowly and gathering feedback: "I'm glad I took time and waited for people to say what they liked before fully stocking the store. It's a huge risk, opening a small business anywhere. There have been many moments in this process where I've overthought and second-guessed myself, but the main lesson I've learned is to just trust your gut. I eventually wound up not deviating much from my plans at the start. Now that we've opened, all those instincts have been reaffirmed."