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On September 14, the city of Dover, Delaware, will once again be home to a bookstore. This is thanks to Ginny Jewell and Marie Shane, the new owners of Acorn Books, a centrally located shop with an inventory of both new and used books. Former managers of Dover’s Atlantic Books, Jewell and Shane decided to take matters into their own hands when they received news of the store’s closing.
“Literally the day we got the notification, we started making plans to open our own,” said Shane. “We couldn’t see ourselves living in a county without a bookstore.”
After the closing of Atlantic, a trip to the bookstore for Dover residents meant a 45-minute drive, which was clearly upsetting to members of the community. “They were all asking, ‘What are we going to do?’” said Shane.
Based on their experience at Atlantic – Shane’s seven years and Jewell’s 10 years — they knew they were fit for the job. “I am extremely grateful that I know how to run a bookstore,” Shane said. “It allowed me to focus on how to create a company, because that’s where the learning curve kicked in. But luckily, we’re confident enough to say we know the industry backwards and forwards.”
The business partners already knew that they worked well together, which was an added bonus. “Our personalities are similar enough to be on the same page, but different enough so we don’t drive each other crazy,” said Shane.
The owners hope to fill Acorn Books with “a little bit of everything,” she said. As general, full-service booksellers, Shane and Jewell are happy to provide a comprehensive range of genres from fiction to art books, as well as an extensive children’s section. With a former events coordinator on staff and Shane’s prior restaurant experience, Acorn Books is also looking forward to hosting a variety of interactive events, including author readings, book clubs, story times for kids, as well as open mic nights and poetry slams.
The store’s opening on September 14 will include a ribbon cutting. Plans for a grand opening, to be held sometime next month, are still in the works.
When the residents of Dover found out about the forthcoming Acorn Books, they were quick to offer words of support to the new owners and expressed their excitement about the return of a bookstore to their town.
“That actually made me cry,” Shane said. “The outpouring of support has been unbelievable.”
The owners started a Facebook page for the business to help get the word out. In just a few months, the store reached 750 Facebook fans. “For a medium-sized city, Dover really does feel like a small town sometimes,” said Shane. As soon as Acorn acquired their location, they started accepting donations for used books, and the community responded in spades, stopping by the store with cars full of donations.
“I could not have a better customer base,” said Shane. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”