Why Books & Sundry...Why Now

“What if I fail? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” - Erin Hanson

So, I quit my job to open a bookstore. You can imagine the looks and comments I got. Some think I’m crazy; some comment how brave I am; some congratulate me and wish me luck – though I imagine in the back of their minds they assume I’m having a mid-life crisis and will come back to my senses eventually. Yes, I’ve heard of Amazon. And Kindle. And of course, I’ve seen “You’ve Got Mail” and know how it ends! I’ve researched the heck out of the current state of bookselling and the future of brick-and-mortar retail. But have you ever felt that there’s just something you HAVE to do? Regardless of the skeptics and naysayers?

Books have always been a big part of my life. My first job in high school was at the local library in LaPlata, Maryland. When I was on the verge of failing organic chemistry my sophomore year at college, realizing medical school was not in my future after all, I chose my new major based on the BOOKS. I mean, you can do anything with a double major in History and Religion, right? Fast forward 25 years give or take, various careers and experiences, and the nagging feeling that there’s something else I was meant to do with my life, I always thought, if I didn’t have to work for money, I’d open a bookstore. In my mind I’d pin the dream on the imaginary Map of My Future Life. Perhaps something I’d do as an old lady in retirement. Then the Global Pandemic hit. Retail and restaurants suffer. But they pivot. And people realize they need community. They WANT it.

I realize how much I need and want it. I didn’t grow up in New England, but I’ve lived in Plymouth for over 20 years now and love it. It’s my home. I’ve created Books & Sundry for the community. We’ll have books – lots of them. We can’t carry every title, but we will have very strong literary fiction, history, and memoir sections as well as popular new releases and books by local authors and of local interest. Plus, as a native Texan, we’ll have a pretty good selection of Southern titles – books by southern writers, books set in the south, and more importantly, southern cookbooks!

Inventory will be a work in progress as we get to know what you like to read and the back and forth nature of “you need to read this” and “I hated that book” and “have you heard of ….?” is reflected in what joins our shelves. It’s a community endeavor. We’ll have events – author events, book clubs, community conversations, poetry readings, workshops and classes – all dictated by our patrons and what you want and request.

Books & Sundry is a place for you. For anyone who likes to read, to talk about books (and those who prefer reading alone) - anyone who wants a place to discover and explore new and old things. So make it your place. Bring your coffee. Grab a snack. Meet some friends to browse and catch up. Hang out and people watch in one of our cozy seating nooks. And buy a book – or two or three. Author Ann Patchett, in writing about the bookstore she co-owns in Nashville in her memoir This is the Story of a Happy Marriage says, “If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read a book. This is how we change the world. We grab hold of it. We change ourselves.”

Looking forward to building a bookstore together. See you soon!

-glenda

Books & Sundry Owner, Glenda Richards, and her husband Keith enjoying a day on Plymouth Harbor.