In the small NY town where the bookstore runs

The tiny village of Hobart, New York, located in the Northern Catskills, is home to about 400 residents and millions of fascinating characters, all stacked on shelves. Hobart is a book village. Located within a short block of Main Street seven Various bookstores.

When Cathy Duer retired, she moved to Hobart to surround herself with beautiful scenery and lots of books. He initially had no intention of selling them – he was bought “For the first two years we were here, we were the best booksellers they had,” he said.

But she and her husband eventually opened two small shops – one, Creative Corner Books, which sold cooking and craft books; And another, New York Books and Ephemera, focuses on all aspects of New York. “We really try not to overlap too much on what we carry so that each store has something different,” Duerr said.

There is a shop that specializes in mysteries (Quarry Books). Behind the children’s library (The Book Nook), another shop stocks special travel books (better books).

was inspired by the village Hay-on-WyeA thriving Welsh book town that has become a world-renowned destination for bibliophiles.

Don Dales has never been to Hay-on-Wye, and doesn’t even consider himself a “book guy.” But he considers himself an entrepreneur. Dales grew up near Hobart, which was once a key supply stop for the surrounding agricultural industry. When he returned to the area two and a half decades ago, times had changed. He said, this city was a ghost town. “I always say that tumbleweed was going down Main Street. It was disappointing.”

Dells purchased several buildings on Main Street. Around the same time, a couple from Manhattan moved to the city and opened William H. Adams’ Antiquarian Bookstore. Dales thought there might be strength in numbers, so he began turning his buildings around more Bookstore “I went out and I bought a lot of books,” he said, “and a lot of wood, and built a lot of bookshelves.”

Old books have given Hobart a new identity – and new residents, such as retired professors Barbara Balliet and Cheryl Clark, own Blenheim Hill Books. Clark says, “I think Barbara always envisioned owning a bookstore because of her love of books. I didn’t. I just wanted to retire!”

Clarke knows a thing or two about books – she has published several collections of her poetry. She also knows many writers, and co-founded the Hobart Festival of Women Writers, an annual weekend of women-focused readings and workshops.

Writers and readers now make pilgrimages to Hobart, representing the city. “They like to feel like they’re in a place where books matter,” Balliet said. “Because I think a lot of people are in places where there are books no matter and so, when they come here, they are very happy!”

You won’t find all the latest bestsellers in Hobart; Almost everything here is secondhand. And no one is getting rich here. For shop owners, these shops are a labor of love – a new chapter in their lives.

Two dollars gets you a book and a cookie at young Mixali Asgarian’s table at the Hobart Farmers Market. Who knows? He might one day open the eighth bookstore in the village.

Don Dales thinks there’s still room to grow: “People love a book. They love to see it on the shelves. They love to see the spine of the book and say, ‘Oh, I remember that book, that was a great book!’ And besides, a house without books is a boring house … unless it has a cat!”

For more information:

• Hobart Book Village
• Ancient Books by William H. AdamsHobart, NY
• Blenheim Hill BookHobart, NY
• The Book Nook (Children’s Lending Library), Hobart, NY
• Creative Corner BookHobart, NY
• Liberty Rock BookHobart, NY
• Better booksHobart, NY
• New York Books and EphemeraHobart, NY (Facebook)
• mining bookHobart, NY
• Hobart Festival of Women Writers
• Hobart Farmers MarketHobart, NY (Facebook)

The story was produced by Aidan Trevisan. Editor: David Bhagat.