Lupine Books opened earlier this year at 28 Dock Square, Kennebunkport, Maine, after a delayed launch. The Portsmouth Herald reported that owner Emma Wilson officially bought the store last January and was ready to launch 10 days after signing the deal, but a heavy storm hit the state and flooded coastal communities. The inside of her new shop took on inches of water, but the bottom shelves were elevated, so the books were spared.
"We had to get all new floors, and then we had to replace the walls," Wilson said. "It was hard. I'm still worrying about it happening again in the future. But we went through it and made the best of it. At least it happened in January when it was not super busy."
She purchased the store from Kristen Kuehnle, who had owned Fine Print bookstore, where Wilson worked for four years. After weeks of repairs and renovations, she was able to open Lupine Books in March. The Herald noted that Wilson teaches Spanish at Sea Road School in Kennebunk, but the staff that had worked for Kuehnle stayed on, so Wilson was able to open her new shop's doors while she taught during weekdays.
The store's name was inspired by Miss Rumphius, the classic story written by Maine author Barbara Cooney, about a woman who plants lupines to help make the world a more beautiful place. Cooney's illustrations also influenced the shop's décor of the bookstore, with "the same soft colors that you do on the walls and elsewhere at Lupine Books."
"I thought about the name a lot," Wilson said. "I think lupines are just classic Maine, but in a different way. It's not like the pine tree. It's like the start of summer. It's June. It's more like the wild or different parts of Maine. I didn't want an ocean theme."
Wilson, who grew up in Kennebunk, added: "I've always loved working here. I've always wanted to have a bookstore in the community.... I've always loved, loved books and am obsessed with reading. I always wanted, at first, to work at a bookstore and then, after that, to have my own."