New Canaan's Elm Street Books Reopens

Elm Street Books in New Canaan, Connecticut, which had closed in March, reopened on Saturday, August 19, just up the street from its former location. The New Canaan community, eager for the bookstore to reopen, showed up in droves on opening day and all weekend long. "We were selling like it was Christmas," said store manager Kathleen Millard. "We had huge enthusiasm from customers. They're happy we're back, happy about the smaller space, happy about the entire picture."

The new bookstore store is 1,700 square feet, about half the size of the previous location, and at a busier spot on Elm Street. It's connected via an open doorway to the neighboring Rosie's cafe, which provided ice tea for customers on opening day. The new Elm Street currently has 8,000 to 10,000 titles with more on the way, said Millard, and it will continue to partner with the New Canaan library for its author series.

Millard said customers have been incredibly supportive and even competed to buy the first book from the reopened store. "Two kids snuck through Rosie's and won," said Millard. "They were having breakfast there and came through the door before we opened. They were really cute. They bought Guinness World Records 2007 (Guinness) and M Is for Masterpiece [by David Domeniconi, illustrated by Will Bullas (Sleeping Bear)]. They beat out the adults. It was divine justice."

The store was able to reopen thanks to the support of Elm Street's "community-minded" investors, explained Millard.

Elm Street's grand opening, which will take place on Saturday, September 9, will feature several events, including a raffle for a dinner party at the bookstore to be catered by Rosie's.

The store also has created a busy calendar of events to follow the grand opening: a Cabaret night with a local musician; a tasting with Debra Ponzek (The Family Kitchen, Clarkson Potter); and a slide presentation by William D. Earls, author of The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Mid-Century Modern Houses by Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes (Norton).

Millard said hosting numerous signings, presentations, and other events will be the norm for the New Canaan bookstore. "We will very much be a cracker barrel, community-minded kind of place where people can come to chat, buy a book and a latte, and enjoy themselves." --Karen Schechner