Splendor Solis Books Opens in Northampton, Mass.

Dianne and Kevin Germain, who founded Splendor Solis Books as an online store in 2019, have opened in a bricks-and-mortar space in Northampton, Mass., that was formerly the site of Gabriel Books, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.

Splendor Solis specializes in used and new "books on spirituality, books on the occult, books about esoterica, and anything else we feel relates to these endeavors." Several years after opening online, the Germains started selling in stalls at conventions and other locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, then realized they wanted a permanent shop.

At the same time, Patty Riley, co-founder of Gabriel Books in 1993, wanted to sell the used general bookstore following the death of John Riley in 2021--and she wanted to sell to booksellers, not have the space used by a business in a different field. As she told the newspaper, "I think it's important that Northampton is a place where people can come for old books. I for one don't want to live in a world without books."

"It's such a thrill to have an actual store," Dianne Germain told the paper. "We've mostly been interacting with customers online and over the phone, and now we have the opportunity to meet a lot more people in person."

The Germains inherited the stock of Gabriel Books and have been adding their own titles to the inventory.

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