Newtonville Books gets New Owner

After moving my car off the street this morning ( I didn’t feel like trying to parallel park after dancing last night) I came back to my too cold room and checked my email. I have mixed feelings about what I found.

It seems that one of my favorite independent bookstores; Newtonville Books was close to being shut down for good. It was saved, thankfully, by a former employee, Mary Cotton. I will miss Tim Huggins running the show, but am happy to see that somebody else is taking over. It’s also inspiring to see a bookstore being bought by a former employee and I need all the inspiration I can get right now.

I used to go to Newtonville Books a lot more when I lived in the suburbs. I have some great memories of the place: George Saunders telling me he liked my laugh, meeting and hearing Sarah Vowell speak, hearing Mark Dunn ( one of my all time favorite eccentric authors. I highly recommend Ibid, a book written entirely in footnotes) read from “Welcome to Higby”, and eating dinner at Adrianne with co-workers during the Books and Brews event for Nichole Krauss.

Anytime an independent bookstore is in danger of closing, I get sad. When an independent has to close, I get even more upset. Harvard square hasn’t been the same since the passing of Wordsworth. Luckily we still have the Harvard Bookstore and thanks to Mary Cotton we will continue to have Newtonville Books. Below is a press release I got in my Lizard Watch email this morning:

NEWTONVILLE BOOKS SOLD TO FORMER EMPLOYEE

Newtonville Books, an independent bookstore established in 1998, has been sold to Mary Cotton. Ms. Cotton, a Williams graduate who holds a degree from the Stonecoast low-residency MFA program at the University of Southern Maine, and who will graduate with an MA in English Literature from Boston University this year, is also a former employee of the bookstore, hired by Newtonville founder, Tim Huggins.

“When I heard the bookstore was closing after the first of the year, my heart sank, not just for myself, but for the Newton community. An independent bookstore is such a vital component of a community like Newton, and this bookstore, in particular, is sucn amazing place. Over the years, Tim has built a well-respected cultural institution in service
of the community, and when I realized that the creativity and intellectualism that flowed through the store was about to be staunched for good, I wanted to do something about it. It seems like every day you hear about another great independent bookstore closing. I wanted people to hear about one staying open,” Ms. Cotton said. “Plus, I met my husband
while working at the store.”

Thank you Mary!

Ms. Cotton is married to Jaime Clarke, a writer and founding editor of Post Road, a national literary magazine based out of Boston, for which Ms. Cotton also serves as Publisher and Managing Editor. “Newtonville Books has served as the headquarters for Post Road since the magazine’s inception, so the bookstore and the literary magazine will be a perfect union. And I definitely plan to integrate the magazine as much as possible. I want the bookstore to continue to be a home to readers and writers alike.”

When asked about selling his bookstore, Huggins replies: “It’s just the right time. I felt that the bookstore had arrived at a place where it needed something more and different than I could provide to help it reach the next level of sustainability. This sale is a rare situation where needs and opportunities matched perfectly. I find great comfort in knowing that Mary has the right passion, energy, abilities and commitment. The bookstore, as well as its local patrons and greater bookselling community, is incredibly fortunate to have her here. I call on patrons and supporters to embrace her with the same passion shown for me and with an even higher level of commitment and support.”

Huggins opened Newtonville Books in 1998, and he is the founder of the award-winning author event series Books & Brews, as well as the cofounder of Earfull and Cover2Cover, two wildly successful events that combined author readings and live rock music hosted in a bar setting. For the past several years, Newtonville Books hosted over 100 authors a year, including such authors as Margaret Atwood, Tom Perrotta, Dennis Lehane, George Saunders, Myla Goldberg, Rick Moody, Jodi Picoult, Anita Diamant, James Salter, Alice Hoffman, Paul Auster among others. In 2004, PEN/New England bestowed to Huggins the honor of the “Friend to Writers” award.

Books and Brews is an amazing series which allows readers and writers together in a setting which allows them to come out of the rooms they keep themselves in perfecting their craft into bars to talk and laugh together. I am hoping this series does not go away with the departure of Tim Huggins.

I have been to both Earfull and Cover2Cover and they are both original and inspiring. Where else can you hear music and books ( two of my all time favorite passions) combined?

I am also a fan of Newtonville Books Attic series at the Union Bar in Newton. This usually contained an author reading to a standing room only crowd and a stellar band or musican performing afterward. It is a great event to meet friends at or go alone and meet some
new ones.

All small businesses experience inner struggles but few capture the energy, creativity and experience the successes like Newtonville Books. Huggins says: “Even during times of hardship, the bookstore thrived through its staff, publisher and author support and its patrons. It is a successful bookstore in many ways that bring me great pride. This sale was
the only way to save the bookstore from a grave hardship and put it in a more viable place again. Mary brings new opportunities and new life to something I feel is a very special part of the bookselling community.”

Ms. Cotton’s revitalization plan extends well beyond Post Road, though. A customer loyalty program, discounts on select titles, bookclubs, writing workshops, and maybe even a film series of movies based on books is on the horizon for the new Newtonville Books. You can also ask for a fake plastic nickel instead of a bag when you check out, dropping the plastic
nickel in on of three donation boxes that support local Newton charities on your way out the door. “Outwardly the store may look the same, but there are a lot of exciting changes afoot,” Ms. Cotton said.

Newtonville Books will close on Monday, February 5 and reopen on Thurs, February 8 for a four-day twenty (20%) percent off sale ending Sunday.

Newtonville Books will also host a grand re-opening reception on Sunday, March 4, from 3-5pm.

Be sure to stop by Newtonville Books and say good bye to Tim.
I just want to say: Thank you Tim for all you’ve done for the Newtonville independent bookselling world, good luck with all your future plans and you will be missed.

I also would like to say welcome to Mary and look forward to stopping by the store and meeting you. Thank you for saving a truly great independent bookstore.