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| UConn Co-op welcomed customers. | |
Little more than two weeks ago, Toadstool Bookshops in Keene, Milford and Peterborough, N.H., announced plans for "Cider Monday"--a local, homey counterpoint to the online frenzy of Cyber Monday. Shoppers were invited to drop by the stores today for cider, snacks and old-fashioned human interaction. Several other indies from across New England, Pennsylvania and New York quickly jumped on board. Yesterday, they reported that Cider Monday was a charming success.
"Cider Monday was a huge hit here," said Cynthia Duprey, of Next Chapter Bookstore in Barre, Vt. Duprey offered a 10% discount to any customers who mentioned "Cider Monday," and advertised the event in her local newspaper. "It was fun to see the smiles when people realized what we were promoting," she said. "I will make this an annual event for sure."
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| Cider Monday at Next Chapter. | |
Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, saw a "truly surprising" number of customers slosh to the store on a day of miserable weather, said Kenny Brechner. Coverage by the local newspaper helped increase turnout. A reporter from the Christian Science Monitor arrived later in the day to take photos, and WCSH 6 Portland, an NBC news affiliate, spent time at the store filming and interviewing customers.
"The response we heard over and over was that they loved the idea and that a cup of hot cider was just the thing today," Brechner said. "It was a giant success here."
"It's been fun; most people laugh at the pun," said Suzy Staubach, manager of the UConn Co-op, which just moved into a new location in Storrs, Conn. "We've had a mix of young people from campus and community people. We even had a woman about my age, who told us her son works for Jeff Bezos but she buys all her books from us, because she likes to look through the books first!" --Alex Mutter