Andover Bookstore is the second oldest bookstore in the country. So its 200th birthday bash will be celebrated all month as the staffers don't want this party to be a mere flash in the pan.
"There's just something very magical about this place...it's one of those precious things," said current manager Karen Harris. "We're the oldest continuous business in town with very loyal customers."
The official birthday cake will be sliced tonight, Nov. 12, with a more historical celebration planned for Thursday, Nov. 19. The store invites people to "come and join us around the fireplace as our own Susan Lenoe and Karen Harris take us on a journey back through time into the history of the Andover Bookstore. There will be memories from the earliest years, vintage images, and funny stories from more recent times."
Andover Bookstore dates back to 1809, when it was at Main and Chestnut streets. It has always been the bookstore for private Phillips Academy and Harris knows that plays an important role in the bookstore's longevity. Small community bookstores often have trouble surviving recessionary times. Even the big box bookstores are having trouble, as Borders just closed several stores.
Harris said the Andover Bookstore ambiance also plays a vital role. The bookstore's first-floor fireplace, surrounded by comfy chairs, is a great place to read a good book.
The bookstore moved to its current location at 89R Main St. in 1964. Harris said the building used to be a grand home.
"We are in the home's carriage house and you see that history when you are here," she said, referring to the second floor that looks over the first floor. "They used to throw the hay from here."
Ethel and Jerome Cross owned the bookstore at the time and were the owners who moved the business to the former carriage house, Harris said.
Townsman columnist Bill Dalton and his wife, Caroline, bought Andover Bookstore in 1989 and current owner Robert Hugo bought it in 1992. Hugo also owns bookstores in Marblehead and Newburyport.
From the required textbooks in Latin and Greek for PA students in the 1800s to popular works by today's authors, the bookstore still is a must-go for many residents. Harris, store manager for over 15 years, said Andover is a literary town and supports its bookstore as a result.
"Support for us often starts with our children's room. Our storytelling session for pre-schoolers is very popular and we bring in children's authors for events," Harris said. "We always get a a good response."
Young readers often become regular readers as adults and Harris said that's the trend in Andover.
Children's authors Tommie DaPaola and Henry Winkler were popular recent visitors while Brian Jacques of the "Redwall" series has also visited.
Contemporary adult authors Mary McGarry Morris, Tracy Kidder and Andres Dubois III are among the scores who have read from their books at the bookstore over the years.
"The company may be old, but we stay current when it comes to helping our customers," Harris said.
Meeting the authors behind the words and searching out of print books are two ways the bookstore does that.
It may be a simple recipe for success but it's noticed in the industry. The top trade magazine in the book world, Publisher's Weekly, is profiling Andover Bookstore in an upcoming issue, Harris said.
"We're hoping for 200 more years here, if not more," she said.
HAPPY 200th ANDOVER BOOKSTORE!
CAKE SERVED: Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., free, with past and present staffers, plus local authors, Andover Bookstore, 89 Rear Main St.; 978-475-0143.
PART TWO: Storyteller Susan Lenoe talks about bookstore history, Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., free.
WHO'S No. 1?: Moravian Book Shop, Bethlehem, Pa., was founded in 1745, making it 64 years older than Andover Bookstore which has been continously operating since 1809.
