That Book Store in Wethersfield, Conn., which opened in 2018, is closing permanently, the Hartford Courant reported. Owner Karen Opper said that the decision came from being unable to serve wine, beer and hard cider "to shoppers and groups that used the venue for events," the newspaper wrote. "If I would have been able to sell alcohol, I would not be closing," she said.
When the store closed to the public because of the pandemic, it offered curbside service and a delivery option for books. Opper was able to reopen the doors in May, and business was "pretty good," she said, slipping in mid-summer but picking up again in September.
However, as she told the Courant, "I was counting on the governor to open Phase 3," when bars could reopen. (Because That Book Store doesn't serve food, it's considered a bar.) Phase 3 is coming next week, but bars will continue to remain closed because they've been a hot spot for spreading the coronavirus.
She considered adding food, she said, but the costs--including an upgraded state license--were too much.
The newspaper wrote that Opper said "she will miss many things about the bookstore, from the joy she saw on kids' faces when the latest Dog Man book came out to getting her mother to become a regular reader and meeting her favorite authors at book signings." She added: "I'm a huge book nerd and they're like my superstars."