With the signing of a lease for a new location, it should be smooth sailing ahead for the Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden, Maine, which lost its original lease to Sherman's earlier this year. "It seemed likely to us that we were going to go out of business," co-owner Paul Lerner told PW. "Then we were approached by [independent credit card issuer] MBNA, which is headquartered here and has several large office buildings that they are converting into retail stores."
The Owl & Turtle will anchor the new shopping area just a block off Main Street, close to the store's current location overlooking the harbor of this picturesque town. The size will remain the same, about 3,800 square feet, although the store will now be entirely on one floor, or "deck."
All of the staff is staying on, and customers have proven loyal as well; many of them have approached Lerner with offers of help. "We're inviting the whole community in to pack boxes," says Lerner, who will take over the new space the first of January and plans to complete renovations by the beginning of March.
In addition, the Owl & Turtle has begun to rethink author events. "We've always had signings at the store," said Lerner. "But [the move] is going to force us to expand our base. It's a challenge and an opportunity." In November, the Owl & Turtle is taking up that challenge by starting a monthly series of local author readings at a nearby bed-and-breakfast.
