MASSACHUSETTS BEACON HILL BOOKS & CAFÉ

Since it was announced in the spring that a new bookstore would be opening on Beacon Hill late in 2022, there has been a buzz around town, with many people—not just bookworms—expressing the need for such a business in the historic neighborhood.

Local resident Melissa Fetter is the driving force behind Beacon Hill Books & Café, which was opened in October in a five-story Greek Revival building on Charles Street. While Fetter readily admits that she doesn’t have a background in retail, she is a voracious reader with a “sense of creativity and the perspective of a consumer.” She says the bookstore has designated themed areas, such as rooms dedicated to architecture and design or travel, for example. “I am also really excited about the children’s collection,” she adds, noting plenty of kid-friendly touches, like a model train with a steam whistle chugging in and out of rooms on the children’s level. “It’s a space reminiscent of a nursery from, say, ‘Peter Pan’ or ‘Mary Poppins,” she says.

In addition to selling books, the shop, which boasts a courtyard garden, will offer curated, high-quality merchandise, ranging from custom tea blends to private-label candles. There are also plans for hosted events, including book signings, private gatherings, and “proper” English high teas. The café, under the watchful eye of Colleen Suhanosky, chef and owner of Rifrullo Café in Brookline, will also house an extensive cookbook collection.

“Bookstores aren’t easy businesses to run, but this just felt like an opportunity waiting to happen,” says Fetter. “And if there were ever a location that could make a bookstore a success, it’s Beacon Hill.”

Rhode Island

SAVOY BOOKSHOP & CAFÉ

Located in a renovated two-story building that was once home to the Savoy Hotel, this local gem opened in 2016. Savoy Bookshop offers customers diversity in book titles and a welcoming atmosphere with oversize couches, comfy chairs, and an outside patio with an abundance of fresh flowers.

“When ordering, we make sure to buy books that represent a diverse range of stories and authors and perspectives in which people can see themselves,” says Mariana Calderon, the store’s manager. “We have every genre and books by authors who are Indigenous, Black, queer, trans, Asian American, etc…” Open Agenda is a small free library that is part of the

Savoy Bookshop & Café and carries largely LGBTQIA+ titles for young-adult and middlegrade readers.

Calderon says that Savoy staffers are “all very passionate booksellers who are well-read and really committed to the community.” The store hosts numerous literary events, and when they have more well-known authors slated for book signings, they partner with the nearby United Theatre, which has an auditorium and large event spaces.

The Savoy’s owners also own sister stores Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut, and Title IX, which focuses on social justice and queer literature, in New London, Connecticut.