Congratulations to the Vermont Book Shop, Middlebury, Vt., which is celebrating 70 years in business this month. The Addison Independent reported that Dike Blair launched the bookstore on December 17, 1949, creating "a strong foundation for the venerable institution. The bookstore was passed to Becky Dayton in 2005.... In 2007, Dayton completely redid the interior, while continuing to curate a community-centric yet worldly selection of books, in an intimate space lit by tall windows that overlook the Otter Creek. Most recently, Dayton launched a Vermont Book Shop stall at the new Public Market at Stone Mill, a Community Barns venture."
To commemorate the anniversary, the Vermont Book Shop collaborated with John Vincent of A Revolutionary Press to create a broadside of a Robert Frost poem, "A Time to Talk." The Addison Independent noted that the poem "speaks to the mission of the Vermont Book Shop as a place for the community to gather and interact with their friends and neighbors." The letterpress prints of the Frost poem are available for purchase, with proceeds benefitting the H.O.P.E. food shelf as well as other organizations selected by A Revolutionary Press, which is also a non-profit organization.
In response to Indiebound's tweet wishing the store a happy 70th anniversary, Vermont Book Shop responded: "We don't look a day over 30!"