Green Mountain Books has been in business for a whopping 38 years. It was originally opened on a part-time, summer basis by the legendary Ralph Secord, a librarian and literary aficionado from Hartford, Vermont. Ownership and management then passed to his daughter Ellen Secord-Doyle. And finally, Ms. Doyle sold the store to its current owner, Kim Crady-Smith. You can read more about the bookstore’s history, here.
On a slushy gray day earlier this week, I stopped in to the store to take a break from some thorny legal dilemma or another, and was, as usual, cheered by the store’s atmosphere. I spent about an hour exploring fascinating nooks and crannies, identifying little treasures here and there. Here’s a little annotated photo essay of some things I found.
Upon entering, I encountered a display prepared in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a table of Irish books–poetry, mythology, fiction, photography. (This was dear to my heart, because at our house, we have a special bookshelf devoted entirely to Irish-theme books.)
Here is the cozy reading chair by the window. It’s near the section on homesteading.
The store also has a little music section tucked into one corner, where one finds old vinyl albums and some obscure and fascinating sheet music.
I’ve always loved the fact that the “religion” section is located in a closet with the door closed. It’s accessible (all you have to do is open the door to get in), and you can even see the books through the glass, but it’s sort of private and segregated from the rest of the books. That’s how I think religion should be (if you’re so inclined): not imposed on anyone, a place you must choose to go, privately.
Here’s the display of ceramic Christmas decorations.
I love the artwork and literary posters gracing the walls.
Here are some samples of the little gems I found throughout….
The cookbook and baking section.
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