Tatnuck Bookseller at 30 Years Young

Tatnuck Bookseller, one of the largest independent bookstores in New England, with stores and adjoining eateries in Worcester and Westborough, Massachusetts, is celebrating its 30th year.

Click image to see a virtual tour of Tatnuck Bookseller.

Offering five miles of shelf space and about 300,000 titles, the two stores employ no cashiers, founder and owner Larry Abramoff claims. Instead, Tatnuck.com, the store's BookSense.com website notes, "We have Booksellers. These are people who know books. They love to read, and they're ready to share their knowledge with you."

Abramoff told BTW, "Tatnuck is more than a bookstore -- it's a destination and a place to 'feed your head.'" He means that quite literally. Already operating a successful full-service restaurant offering three meals, everyday, in the Worcester location, in early October, Abramoff opened Tatnuck Cafe, which serves lighter fare in the front of the one-year-old, 31,000-square-foot Westborough store. Former major league pitcher and bestselling author, Jim Bouton, cut the cafe's ribbon.

The cafe, which is supplied by the store's large commissary in Worcester, has already had to extend its hours, from a 9:00 a.m. start to 8:00 a.m., due to tremendous demand, according to Abramoff. As with the Worcester restaurant, the cafe features Tatnuck's own private label beverages, fresh baked cookies, and a full range of coffee drinks.

Click image to see a virtual tour of the Worcester Tatnuck Bookseller Restaurant.

The cafe, which features live acoustic music on Saturday evenings, will host singer-songwriter and children's book author, Livingston Taylor, on November 11. The concert, with about 500 seats to fill, is the most ambitious event attempted by Abramoff and company. "It could be a total failure," he told BTW. "We don't know anything about producing a concert. Just like we didn't know how to do a lot of things. But we haven't been afraid to fail." That's one of the keys to Tatnuck's success, according to Abramoff, who owns and runs the store with his wife, Gloria.

The thousands of new and used books sold by Tatnuck Bookseller form the heart of the store, but Tatnuck is also a gathering place for businesses, organizations, and celebrants of all kinds. A banquet room is available for private parties, and people can access WiFi throughout the stores. Children can also entertain and be entertained at Tatnuck, and hundreds of authors, appealing to readers of all ages, appear at bookstore events each year.

The Abramoffs have also parlayed their knowledge of books into a thriving publishing business, called Chandler House Press. Several dozen books, including A Place for Us, a sequel to Nicholas Gage's bestselling Eleni, and The Possible Dream: How the 2004 Boston Red Sox Reversed History by Vincent F. Femia, about a peculiar provincial obsession, have recently been published.

Abramoff said that the store's success is a result of "listening to our staff and our customers. Being willing to figure out things as we go." Changes and refinements are constantly made. Tatnuck has embraced the Book Sense program particularly BookSense.com, Abramoff said. "It gives us a tool to be on the Internet, at a cost that's affordable. That's extremely important for us."

About Tatnuck's 30th anniversary, Abramoff said, "[We're] working harder than we ever did. I love what I do: Most days I can't wait to get here.... We're still here, still trying, still reading." --Nomi Schwartz