Adventure Books and More, a new and used bookstore, opened recently on 30 S. Main St. in Gloversville, N.Y. Co-owners Theresa and Jeff Walters told the Leader-Herald they are eager to make up for the city's lack of a bookstore, as they feel it is something every town should have.
"We started asking around," Jeff Walters said. "The city doesn't have a bookstore. The nearest one is in Johnstown, and from there you have to go to Saratoga, Schenectady, Albany. The more we started asking, the more interest there seemed to be.... We started buying used books. Then we started researching a source for new books. And we said, 'Well, we've got to do more than just books.' So then we started talking to local crafters. We have a girl in Amsterdam that makes candles. My stepmother does the gift baskets. We have a girl in Mayfield that makes jewelry. And it all kind of fits in a theme of what we're doing."
The decision to open a bookstore in downtown Gloversville came after many years of working in other sectors. "We both always worked, and it seemed like for years we were on different planets," he noted. "The bookstore is something that we can do together."
The main thing Adventure Books and More offers "is a chance for customers to step away from their hectic, technology-driven lives in favor of a quiet moment with a book," the owners said. Theresa added: "We have our little coffee area. It's a place to socialize and relax, rather than just finding a book on a website and buying it."
"My background was rough," Jeff said. "I was a welder and fabricator. I beat steel for a living. But I always liked to read. So it doesn't matter what your background is. Knowledge is everything. Sometimes you want a feel-good book, and sometimes you want to learn about history, and sometimes you want more knowledge from a textbook. It's all here."