MAINE SHERMAN’S MAINE COAST BOOKSHOP AND CAFÉ

In 1962, Michael and Patricia Curtis purchased W.H. Sherman Printer & Stationer, a Bar Harbor business founded in 1886 by Bill Sherman. Since then, Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop has expanded to include nine locations, including the 5,000-square-foot store in Damariscotta, which features a popular café and has a large “staff picks” section. “Our wellread, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic staff love making recommendations based on the customers’ interests,” says Jeff Curtis, who took over the business from his parents in 2006.

“We have many regulars who live nearby, but lots of repeat tourists, too,” says Curtis, who often hears from vacationers that Sherman’s is the first stop they make when returning for their coastal Maine getaways. “Customers say it’s a very inviting store. They find some books they may be looking for and others they didn’t know they were looking for.”

Curtis says all of their locations have “very extensive” sections for Maine- and New Englandspecific books, and the Damariscotta branch also has a consignment section of which he is very proud. “It allows self-published books or those from smaller publishers to get on the shelves, which the authors appreciate and our customers enjoy,” he says.

HAMPSHIRE GIBSON’S BOOK STORE

Much has changed in the nearly 30 years since Michael Herrmann purchased Gibson’s Book Store in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1994. Initially established in 1898, the shop was previously located in a 4,000-square-foot storefront before moving to its current 12,000-square-foot space on Main Street.

“The size makes a big difference,” says Herrmann, who has expanded Gibson’s inventory to include novelties and other items, including kids’ toys and games, as well opening a café. “It means people can gather and browse comfortably without being on top of each other.” And since the current location was a new build completed in 2013, Herrmann worked with a bookstore design consultant to ensure that everything from the lighting to the seating was conducive to a comfortable and inviting environment with room for book signings and other author events. “We have a lot of comfy chairs.”

A hands-on owner, Herrmann says he takes great pride in doing backlist ordering himself. “Bookstores are about discovery. There’s nothing like the experience of finding something you’re really happy to see,” he says. Herrmann says that he and his employees are all avid readers (several participate in a monthly all-things-literary podcast, “The Laydown”) who believe in the mission of connecting readers with writers and building community, which is essential to the success of his business. “Concord is a great bookstore town, and New Hampshire is a great bookstore state,” he says. “We’re fortunate to have as much community support as we do.”

Vermont Bear Pond Books

The second-largest independent bookstore in the state, measuring 3,700 square feet and located in the historic Depot Building, Bear Pond Books is a second-generation, woman-owned business that has been a staple on the downtown Stowe commercial scene since 1970.

The business has been a big part of the life of owner Jennifer Hale, who purchased Bear Pond Books in 2010 from her mother, who had been a staff member before buying it herself in 1978. Hale remembers helping her mom out at the store when she was ten for an allowance of two dollars a day.

Community is important to Hale, which is apparent in everything from the wide selection of titles across most genres to the products sold at the shop. Hale has expanded to include a variety of additional items made by Vermont artists and other regional vendors. Bear Pond Books also hosts genre-specific book clubs and educational programs. Hale says she is especially proud of the large children’s book section, which is designed so that the books face forward, so customers see the jackets of the books rather than just the spines. “Every day, we get at least two to three compliments on our children’s section,” she says.

This downtown Stowe bookstore has a friendly and inviting vibe, but perhaps the most enticing—and adorable—draw is the bookstore’s ambassador, Hale’s French bulldog, Tucker. “He’s very popular,” she says of her seven-year-old pup. “Customers are disappointed if they come and he’s not here.”