"I love it when strangers start talking to each other about books," said Alexandra Lehmann, owner of Books on the Pond in Charlestown, R.I. "In the world of social media, it seems so important that that happens."
Lehmann officially opened her 700-square-foot, general-interest store on July 8. The inventory is made up of roughly 80% new books and 20% used titles, with books for all ages represented. Lehmann stocks her used and new books together on the same shelves, rather than putting them in different parts of the store. "That works really well," she commented. "People just like to browse bookshelves--it doesn't matter if it's new or used."
For adults, Books on the Pond carries literary fiction and nonfiction along with a variety of bestsellers. For children, play and learning are major focuses of Lehmann's efforts, and she described her store as "especially welcoming to children." Along with all manner of children's books, she carries plenty of children's toys and games, including puppets, wooden toys from Vermont and a variety of educational, science-based toys. Aside from children's sidelines, Books on the Pond's nonbook offerings include work from local artists and artisans like ceramics and felt objects.
When it comes to building the store's inventory, Lehmann said she's going slowly and making sure she knows her audience. Given the store's size, curation is key, and in the months ahead she plans on getting into categories like maritime and nautical fiction and nonfiction. And, more recently, she did a lot with the anniversary of the moon landing.
One of Lehmann's major projects is working with the Narragansett Indian Tribe, which hosts an annual powwow in Charlestown that dates back more than 340 years. She has plans to partner with the Tomaquag Museum in nearby Exeter, R.I., which is focused on the history and culture of indigenous tribes in southern New England, to republish two older titles about the Narragansett.
This Friday, Lehmann will host a Woodstock Revival event that will also serve as the store's grand opening celebration. From 6-9 p.m., there will be a screening of the documentary Woodstock and local musicians will play songs that were performed at Yasgur farm. Customers can dress like rock stars or peaceniks and win a variety of prizes.
In the fall, Lehmann plans to expand the scope of her store's events. She'll host writing workshops, as well as Italian and German language classes, and she'll debut a book-to-screen club. In that book club, participants will read a book, watch its movie adaptation together and then discuss what the film got right and what it got wrong.
She also intends to reach out to Rhode Island's large author community and host more local author events in her store. Even though Lehmann is an author herself, she's been too busy getting the bookstore up and running to reach out to that community.
It was Lehmann's experience as an author, in fact, that led her to opening an indie bookstore. She attended the New England Independent Booksellers Association annual fall conference in Providence, R.I., and had such an amazing time interacting with so many people who loved books that she decided it was time to embrace that part of her. "I was really looking for a new course of action," Lehmann explained. "And personally it was the right time."
When asked about how her community has responded to the store, Lehmann said she's been blown away. "It's just been these wonderful surprises after another," she remarked. "You can get cynical about people. This experience has made me less so." --Alex Mutter