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| Lu French | |
Carmen "Lu" French, co-owner of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., and Saratoga Springs, N.Y., died Monday after a long battle with cancer, the Bennington Banner reported. She was 59.
Described as an "energetic and generous Renaissance woman," Lu French purchased Northshire Bookstore with her husband, Clark French, from previous owner Chris Morrow last year. In addition to a bookstore owner, French was a yoga teacher, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist, and she and her husband invested in or owned several businesses, including a yoga studio, a movie theater, a restaurant and two hotels. They also owned and operated a successful real estate business in Vero Beach, Fla.
"Literally, during the pandemic and while she was battling cancer, she started, wrote and published a book," Clark French told the Banner. "She took over and restored and renovated Mark Skinner Library in Manchester Village and helped the Silver Fork open. We purchased and took over the Northshire Bookstore. All in 18 months.
"Any one of those things would have been a lot for most people. Yet she was able to successfully juggle all those things. That's the type of person she was--always gracious, always kind, incredibly patient."
In a tribute to French posted on Twitter, the Northshire Bookstore team wrote: "Lu was a fierce and tireless advocate for the Manchester, Vermont and Indian River County, Florida communities she embraced and treasured. She left each community she touched immeasurably better through her presence."
Both Northshire locations will be closed on Sunday, May 22, so that staff can attend a celebration of her life scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Southern Vermont Art Center.