photo from Newtonville Books website -- thanks
Like many others who live on my side of this lovely metropolis, I was sad to learn that our beloved Newtonville Books, the last independent bookstore in Newton, was decamping to Newton Centre.
Now for those who don't live in (or love) this unique city, it may not sound like much of a difference. One Newton may seem like the next (or the other 13). But our 84,000 residents occupy 13 villages and each is quite different. While Newtonville, where the bookstore opened a dozen-plus years ago, is not as thick with restaurants and high-end shops as Newton Centre, it has its own charm -- an excellent coffee shop, now thriving after five turns in ownership; two bakeries; a vintage jewelry store with no parallel; a good women's clothing store; a thrift shop; a great new diner; a Japanese restaurant; the place where I've bought my glasses for decades; a pet shop that's been the fave destination of generations of Newtonians and where we acquired two dogs; several salons; and of course 45 banks...
Beside all that, it's walkable from my village and so Newtonville Books was a regular stop on my frequent Newtonville visits. Newtonville Books absquatulated to Newton Centre? Harrumph.
Then yesterday there I was in Newton Centre, visiting my favorite cobbler (Pelham Shoe Repair; quick, excellent; and just nice people), when I remembered that I needed to pick up our next book club book (Mistaken by Neil Jordan; positive review; order it from Newtonville Books).
And then there I was in the BEAUTIFUL new Newtonville Books. Just beautiful. Spacious -- and the bookshelves are on wheels so they can be pushed back to make space for readings. An expanded children's book section. Room to step back and read the labels of the sections. A good card section. Lots of light. Just beautiful.
I had the chance to chat with Mary Cotton (co-owner with Jaime Clarke), whose pleasure with how things have turned out is evident from her smile. There's more foot traffic, more evening bustle as people flock to the many restaurants in Newton Centre, and, of course, the advantage of being right on the T, which means people can easily get there without a car (sadly not true on our side of Newton, which only has the commuter rail that, true to its name, only really runs at commuter time). I re-upped by membership on the spot -- and bumped into an old friend.
Just the kind of place that book lovers will linger. The only thing missing is the coffee bar...
