Book Barn
Image courtesy of the store.
A perfect day for me would take place in the coastal Connecticut town of Niantic. I’d spend the afternoon writing at Hole-in-the-Wall Beach off Main Street, taking breaks to wade in the water of the Long Island Sound, then munch on lobster rolls and clam chowder at nearby seasonal staple Dad’s before grabbing a blizzard from the Dairy Queen to enjoy during sunset on the boardwalk. But first, I’d take a trip to Book Barn.
The self-proclaimed “bibliophile’s bliss” is a used book paradise, occupying three buildings in the 3.5-square mile village where you can find almost anything. Children’s delights and cookbooks amongst other treats live in the downtown location. Neatly stacked tables of romances, true crimes, thrillers, and more occupy Chapter Three on the other side of Main Street. And everything else lives in the nooks and crannies of the brick-and-mortar—or, more astutely, cats-and-sheds—original barn location in between, which in addition to being a three-floor building filled with titles on history, psychology, and works from local authors plays home to sprawling smaller shanties, such as The Annex filled with essay collections and literary criticism, the Haunted Book Shop for horror, and my personal favorite, Ellis Island, the landing spot for new arrivals. Buying happens in the Main Barn, where avid readers drop by with boxes of beloved books throughout the day and visitors find cozy outdoor space to sit, maybe even making the acquaintance of a bookstore cat or garden creature.
Image courtesy of the store.
“It’s a big place and there’s a lot of stuff, so sometimes people are really thrown by it,” says bookseller and writer of Glenn’s Book Notes Glenn Shea, describing how he often sees folks on the phone with each other trying to meet up after wandering off at the Barn. “We do have a guide on our website, but sometimes people will just come in to the front lobby and stop, letting their eyes sort of glaze over.”
The business started in 1988, in the basement of the Main Barn. Randi and Maureen White used to own a pizza shop in town, but dreamed of running a bookstore. It began with only three bookcases, 800 books, and a couch. Two years later, a fire in the antique store upstairs destroyed Book Barn’s inventory, but with the help of family and friends, they reopened in 1991 and expanded into the top floors by ’92. Every year after, the Whites continued putting up more and more storage space in the Barn’s backyard until they eventually burst at the seams, prompting the lease of the Downtown location in 2000, and Chapter Three thereafter.
“The idea has always been to make it a very user-friendly place,” says Shea, who as a full-time staffer works with a rotating cast of seasonal help, assisting in the buying process and making sure everything lives in its proper place. “When you’re looking at people who want to work here, it’s not just about can you alphabetize, it’s what are you bringing to the party? What do you know about? How do you deal with people?” he adds. “You can come in and ask questions and hope to get an intelligent answer from people who know what a book is. But we learn as much from the customer as whatever they might learn from us.”
Image courtesy of the store.
Book Barn also appeals to customers on price. Customers can get most titles for around $5 and many for only a buck. “We’re going for quantity rather than trying to get top dollar for every single title,” Shea says, “and because it’s less expensive, you also don’t have to mortgage the house to buy a book.”
Book Barn won’t have the newest titles, but patrons don’t seem to mind. “If you want a specific book, you can now look online, but if you want to browse, it’s easier to do it here because you have the physical objects,” Shea says. “You can hold it in your hand, and discover something you never even knew existed.”
People from all over the country come to the Barn, and by association the town. “Niantic is not big,” Shea says, “but a lot of time, if people are coming in to hunt for books, they’ll shop around at some of the other stores in town or have dinner. They’ll make a part of the day out of it. I hope it’s a positive thing for the community.” Shea also enjoys anytime someone stops him out and about in the world with his Book Barn tote bag to talk about the store, showing him the reach the store has beyond his local Stop & Shop or pizzeria.
During the past two years of the pandemic, however, local readers have kept Book Barn afloat. The Barn closed up for nine weeks in 2020 to ensure everyone’s safety before opening back up. But despite having shortened hours, the Barn was just as busy as the before times, if not more.
“We saw people go through what can only be referred to as separation anxiety,” Shea says, remembering customers taking home stacks fifteen titles high. “They were coming in and saying, ‘I have no books and the library is closed! I’ve been reduced to watching re-runs of Designing Women. I’m going out of my mind!’”
Things have yet to slow down even in the sluggish winter season, which led to the decision to move the shop’s annual sale to autumn. Traffic also picks up more come summer when people can take advantage of the Barn’s expansive outdoor space.
This, combined with Book Barn’s lack of supply chain issues (unlike stores selling new books, Book Barn’s stock comes largely from the local community selling them books), has staff cautiously optimistic. “I think everybody is just sort of keeping their eyes peeled and seeing where this is going to go,” says Shea. The new variant might mean they’ll need to limit indoor space capacities again, but for now, they’ll wait, and continue to happily help customers however they can.
“More people reading?” Shea beams. “I can practically feel the IQ for the entire country going up by a single decimal point. You can’t help but hope.”
Image courtesy of the store.
Recommendations from the Bookseller
Admittedly not much of a fiction reader, a friend put Shea on to this “novel of the plague” and he was instantly intrigued. The best seller imagines William Shakespeare’s life in Stratford-upon-Avon after leaving the London theatre, and includes the death of his youth son with a name that rhymes with one of his most legendary plays. Shea calls it “brilliantly written and incredibly moving,” adding, “it had that kind of emotional generosity that I think that we especially associate with Shakespeare.”
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Named a Time Best YA Book of All Time, this multi-award-winning novel still pleasing readers of all ages nearly a decade after its original publication. “It’s emotionally satisfying,” says Shea of the story of two teen boys with little in common other than their loner status who form a special friendship that goes on to change their lives. “This guy is a poet and he does not waste words.” More recently, Sáenz published a sequel, and while usually skeptical of such, Shea assures it holds its own weight.
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Dubbed “the finest book on France in recent years” in The New York Times Book Review and “really lovely and charming” by Shea, this collection explores The New Yorker writer’s years in Paris with his wife and newborn son, trying to balance exploring the most romantic city in the world while learning about fatherhood, two experiences strangely more similar to each another than one might think…
Jim Harrison: Complete Poems by Jim Harrison
Most people associate Harrison for his work as a novelist, including Legends of the Fall and Dalva, but he was also a prolific poet. After his passing in 2016, his legacy continues with Copper Canyon Press having recently collected and published all of his printed poetry. “As a poet, I’m a little biased,” admits Shea, “but Harrison was a great American poet working at the peak of his powers, and he should be read. This is a book where there should be parades. There should be fireworks. There should be announcements on television.”
Image courtesy of the store.
