"It's been such a fun experience for both Liz and I to see our dreams become reality, and then to see people so engaged and excited about what our dreams were," said Liz Hitchcock, co-owner of Bookery Manchester in Manchester, N.H.
Hitchcock and co-owner Liz Cipriano opened the 4,500-square-foot bookstore and cafe on June 4. The store features new, general-interest books for children and adults, and while Cipriano and Hitchcock are still experimenting with the inventory, they have an ample selection of books by New Hampshire authors and about the Granite State. The cafe, meanwhile, serves coffee, tea, pastries and doughnuts, along with soups, salads and sandwiches from the afternoon until the evening.
"The community has been so welcoming," said Cipriano. "People walk in the door with huge smiles on their faces and say, 'this is what we needed, I'm so glad you're here.' It's been great."
Bookery Manchester hosts frequent events and has space available for community members and local organizations to rent, including a conference room and a meeting room. There are live music performances every Thursday and story time sessions every Saturday, plus author readings and signings throughout the week.
The store has hosted some more unusual events too, including a water safety course they ran in June, and going forward Cipriano and Hitchcock plan to bring in speakers for what they called "TED-like talks." They've also started partnerships with the New Hampshire Institute of Art, a creative arts college based in Manchester, and are looking to work with the local school system.
When it came to designing the store's interior, Hitchcock reported that she and Cipriano felt it was important to make the space feel cozy despite being so large and open. They concentrated on flow, and in laying out the store wanted to "reward the natural inquisitiveness that people have." Hitchcock elaborated: "We liked the idea of there being a treasure around every corner--signed books or a fireplace or butterflies in a bookclub room."
Over the coming weeks and months, Cipriano and Hitchcock plan to tinker and experiment with the store's inventory as they get a better sense of what their community wants. They do expect, however, that the amount of political books that they carry will grow, especially in the lead-up to the next presidential primaries. Hitchcock added that the bookstore is not far from the hotel where "all of the media stay" when covering the N.H. primary and that "people are very engaged in this space from a political standpoint."
Hitchcock and Cipriano are planning to start a guest curator program, which would see a friend of the store or local figure choose a small selection of books. They said the plan will likely begin with a single display table and, depending on feedback, grow from there.
|
|||
|
|||
While neither Cipriano nor Hitchcock have prior experience in bookselling, Cipriano has a master's degree in library science along with a background in retail and project management. To prepare for opening Bookery Manchester, the pair "connected to a bunch of bookstores" who allowed them to shadow experienced booksellers and learn the ropes.
For both Hitchcock and Cipriano, opening a bookstore was the fulfillment of a long-held dream. In fact, they didn't know each other prior to teaming up to launch Bookery Manchester and were introduced by a mutual friend to whom they'd separately told about their desire to open a bookstore.
For Hitchcock in particular, the store was at least 10 years in the making: She and her husband had been talking about the idea off-and-on for a decade, deciding at various points that the timing wasn't right. Around five years ago, the space that Bookery Manchester is in now went on the market, but the other pieces weren't yet in place and Hitchcock watched another retailer move in. Three years or so ago, Hitchcock and her husband were again seriously considering the idea, but it also ended up not working out.
Roughly 18 months ago, Hitchcock and her husband were telling a friend about their bookstore plans when that friend said, "Oh my word, I have a friend who has the same dream." Hitchcock and Cipriano were then finally introduced, and at around the same time, that original space that Hitchcock had wanted five years ago was about to go back on the market.
Said Hitchcock: "Timing is almost everything, and the timing was just perfect--the opportunity to work with Liz, and to have that dreamt-about space." --Alex Mutter