School Community Unsure About New Hanover Bookstore

When the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Hanover closed in December, students and residents of the Upper Valley were all affected. With the news of half the building reopening as a café/bar and bookstore still fresh, I wanted to know how students and teachers felt about the new alcoholic aspect to a previous staple in Hanover. People are wondering whether the new store is oriented towards kids or adults because of the read-alouds and the wine tastings alike that will take place at the store. Mostly, will the bookstore still be the place to meet, talk, and buy new books?

The Hanover bookstore was important to many students at Hanover High so I thought it would be important to ask them their opinions on the new layout of the store. Some students feel that the new additions won’t deter them. “As long as they continue to sell books I’ll still go,” said freshman Eli Cowie. Others, however, feel as if the additions are going to make going to the bookstore awkward. These students think that the bar aspect of the new store will cause younger buyers to feel uncomfortable. Some students also think that this awkwardness between a bar and a place to experience buying a favorite book might put the bookstore out of business once more.

To get a full opinion on the new additions I also talked to some teachers to see what they thought. Teachers that had kids thought that the fact that the bookstore won’t sell children’s books will be a deterrent. Teachers, such as Ms. D’Amato also thought that “the two ideas don’t fit together” referring to the bar and the books. She was confused about how the dynamic between the two sections of the bookstore would work together. From most teacher points of view, it seems that the biggest downfall of the bookstore so far is how obscure the concept of a “book and bar” is.

Overall the reopening will be something new for the citizens of Hanover which could turn out well, providing an alternative source of books, or ineffective by not providing the kind of store Hanover needs. Either way, the promise of a new idea and interesting concept will inspire more growing businesses in the Upper Valley.