NIANTIC -- “The book barn is basically nirvana for anyone who loves books,” said Glenn Shea, a book seller at The Book Barn.
You can say that again! The Book Barn is tucked away in Niantic, just about an hour away from downtown Hartford. It has been around since 1988, but the main barn dates back to the 1800's, and they’ve now expanded.
”It’s three different shops, this main campus has five different buildings, and we house about 350,000 books, as well as two goats, several cats and a whole bunch of employees,” said Shea.
As you weave through the stacks you’ll find every genre you could dream of, and most of these second hand books will only cost you a few bucks.
“New books keep arriving through the winter, Randi buys eight, 10, 12 thousand books a week, so there’s always new stuff to look at,” said Shea.
Randi White, the owner, "We started with a couch and three book cases in the basement, and little by little we were able to take over the property, and buy it live here,” said owner, Randi White. “It just doesn’t get any better.”
In an era where technology reigns supreme, White and Shea say you can’t beat the basics.
“I love what I do because we get people to read, and when you see the excitement on people’s faces when they come in to get books it’s incredible,” said White.
”Years ago I was a little nervous that maybe it would just be my generation who would pass away with books,” said White. “But what we are seeing is the fastest growing sections are kids books and teen books.”
This love for books, now creating a bond that will carry on for generations to come.
“We really celebrate books here, we are all book lovers ourselves,” said White. “So you get into wonderful conversations with people about books, people share titles, and share authors it’s great.”
If you’re wanting to add The Book Barn to your winter bucket list, good news, it is open every single day with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas!
