Sarah Adams and Adrian Shwaiko have taken over Old Professor's Bookshop in Belfast, Maine, from previous owner Craig Olson, the Midcoast Villager reported.
The acquisition officially took place in September, with Olson staying on for a month to teach Shwaiko and Adams the ins-and-outs of running a bookstore. Olson took over the store in 2022, after the death of George Siscoe, who founded the shop in 2008.
While Old Professor's remains primarily a used and rare bookstore, Adams and Shwaiko have started selling new titles through the shop's website and doing special orders. They've also added what they call "curiosities," which are nonbook items ranging from loose leaf tea to furniture.
Prior to buying the bookstore, neither had any experience in bookselling, though they were both avid readers. They first considered buying a bookstore after hearing that there was a deal in place to buy a local bookstore that might fall through. That sale ended up closing before Shwaiko and Adams could get involved, and they started asking around about the possibility of buying a different store. Eventually, a bookseller friend told them that Olson might be interested in selling.
Adams told the Midcoast Villager that although it all felt a bit nerve-wracking at first, she and Schwaiko have started to settle in and enjoy it. "It sounds really dreamy and idyllic, and I think like we're finally getting to a point where, most days, I can be like, yeah, yeah, it is."