Norwich Bookstore: New, and Not
It’s been just a little over a year since Sam Kaas and Emma Nichols travelled from Seattle, Washington and, for the first time, stepped through the door of the Norwich Bookstore. Now they own it. And have been running it for the past several months.
They have a history as “book people,” she as a manager and buyer at Elliott Bay Book Company and he as the author events manager at Third Place Books. The two started poking around, nurturing an idea of owning and running a bookstore on the East Coast. The Internet provided their first glimpse of the Norwich Bookstore, which long-time owners Liza Bernard and Penny McConnel had listed for sale.
I posed this question: Aside from contact online, when did you actually first set foot in the bookstore, and what was your first impression? Kaas responded:
We came to look at the store in the first weekend of November, 2020. It was election week, and with the pandemic, we hadn't travelled anywhere we couldn't walk or drive to in many months. It was, to say the least, an anxious trip, but then we were here, and the Upper Valley felt like a place we wanted to be; the store looked even better than it did in pictures, and Liza and Penny were delightful. After our first in-person meeting, Emma and I drove around the backroads outside Norwich. "You know," she said, "this kind of feels like it could be home." I told her that I was thinking the same thing.
With no wholesale changes at the store, customers may still experience the same Norwich Bookstore they have come to know and definitely love. But every business evolves. What’s new here? An overhauled website, for one, necessitated by pandemic-induced online purchasing habits, which continue still. New sections—romance, science fiction, graphic novels—have been added; some existing ones, like music and woodworking, have expanded.
Describing a bookstore as “an anchor to any community,” Kaas expounded on what that means:
“If you've lived here a long time, you already know that our booksellers remember you and what you like to read. We remember you, your kids, and your dog, and—in addition to forming rewarding relationships—that allows us to help you find books and gifts that no algorithm could. This season, when we're facing major supply chain interruptions and stock shortages, you may not be able to order the exact title you want from an online retailer—but our booksellers can make you personal recommendations for books we have on the shelves (both brand new books and old favorites), no shipping delays necessary!”
Asked about each of their own favorite books of the past year, both declined (as all readers worth their salt might) to pick a single one as “the best.” But among their favorites were The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber & David Wengrow (Sam) and Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King (Emma).
Books as gifts for the holidays? Today, November 27, happens to be Small Business Saturday. Reader, you know what to do.
(Photo, top: Emma Nichols and Sam Kaas. Photo credit Kim Hooyboer. Check out the Norwich Bookstore website for more information, including upcoming events such as the annual Pages in the Pub (online) on November 30, and Jodi Picoult in conversation with Chris Bohjalian on December 3 as she launches her new book, “Wish You Were Here.”)
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.