From Wall Street to Main Street

During a casual conversation with her local bookseller at Romo Books in Far Hills, New Jersey, Diana Lawrence went from book buyer to bookstore buyer in less time than it takes to browse the bestsellers. In the spring of 2001, Lawrence was recently retired from a long career on Wall Street, when Joseph Romo mentioned that Romo Books was for sale. Lawrence, who always wanted to own a bookstore, didn't waste any time: She immediately said she wanted to buy it, and three months after her conversation with Romo, the 14-year-old bookstore was officially hers.

"It was serendipity," said Lawrence. "There was no hesitation. Fate presents different doors, but the decision what to do about it is yours. Did I think about the competition? Yes. But some things you know are right, and I knew this was right for me."

Romo described the 1,300-square foot location, with its wood floor and fixtures, wall lanterns, and large, paned windows, as looking like a "little English countryside bookstore or library." She invested heavily in the first few years, building up inventory and various sections including gardening, biographies, history, classic literature, business, grief, and a large selection of new fiction.

Lawrence also focused on developing the children's area. "It's the happiest section of the whole store," she said. It'll be especially festive this Friday during Romo's much-anticipated Potter Party. "We'll have a roving wizard and refreshments. It'll be like a cocktail party for kids," she said. The store will host a trivia contest with prizes ranging from stickers to a leather bound edition of the first installment in the Potter series. One Harry-related sideline that Lawrence was excited about, and which will be awarded as a prize, is the new Harry Potter Lumos Book Light that gives the page a magical glow.

When Lawrence took over Romo, it was already a Book Sense store, and she immediately found the program immensely helpful. "Right from the start I heavily relied on Book Sense recommendations," she said. "We use all the promotional materials, the fliers and shelf talkers... We display selections from the list throughout the store with many of them face out."

The events series at Romo have also been considerably overhauled during Lawrence's tenure. A community favorite is the "Romo Roundtable," a series of discussions held every four to six weeks that features high-profile New Jerseyans covering issues pertinent to the state. The roundtables are held on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., are free, and include a continental breakfast. Upcoming guests include former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman, who will talk about women in politics, and retired Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, Stewart Pollack, who will cover right-to-die issues. A previous Roundtable guest, former New Jersey Governor Thomas M. Kean, discussed issues of terrorism with an audience of approximately 50.

"Wall Street and running a bookstore are two completely different animals," said Lawrence. "The rapid-fire pace of Wall Street is not what I experience in the bookstore environment. If anything, the experience is the antithesis. Here I'm free to luxuriate in the discussion of the written word." -Karen Schechner