Esther Kramer, founder and owner for 32 years of the Remarkable Book Shop, Westport, Conn., died April 2, according to WestportNow.com. She was 93 and is survived by, among others, her husband, Sidney Kramer, co-founder of Bantam Books.
The store, the first part of whose name was Kramer reversed, was remarkable in many ways. It was housed in a bright pink house in downtown Westport--anchoring one end of Main Street--featured outdoor bookstalls like those 
on the banks of the Seine and had a fun, intellectual, in-your-face feel. "The shop became a social center of the town's many writers and avid readers, and Kramer, a legendary storyteller and hostess, also became mother-confessor to three rising generations of Westport's creative youngsters," WesportNow.com wrote.
As a former Westport youngster, I can attest that the store was a special place, both cultural and countercultural, with creaky wooden floors, funky signs and displays, nooks and crannies of solid books on everything from literature and political theory and women's rights to cooking and gardening. With comfortable chairs, it was a place one could browse for hours. Booksellers were remarkably knowledgeable and did not shy away from commenting on books I and others bought. A girlfriend's mother was the manager for many years; her tales of customers and all the work behind the scenes that went into bookselling made me fascinated with how bookstores worked. The Remarkable Book Shop was also where I placed my first special order: for my own copy of Hemingway's short stories. As a teenager, I'm not sure I'd have thought of doing such a thing in another store.
The Remarkable Book Shop closed in 1994, not long after a series of chain superstores opened nearby.--John Mutter