With the help of a couple dozen longtime customers who packed boxes at one location and unpacked them at the new one, the Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden, Maine, successfully flew the coop from its home of 34 years and nestled into new quarters at the Knox Mill Center on Mechanic Street. Independent credit-card issuer MBNA, which owns the recently renovated shopping/office space, is so pleased to have the Owl & Turtle anchor the mill that it ran a large ad in the Camden Herald welcoming the store to its new digs.
The ad notwithstanding, the March 2 opening was a soft one, according to co-owner Dr. Paul Lerner, who is planning a more formal opening for mid-April. "We had so many people in the community who kept volunteering to help us," Lerner told PW. "Besides inviting all the community in for the grand opening, I want to honor all the people who were part of the move, from the staff to the carpenters to MBNA."
The new 2,800-square-feet store, which is all on one floor, has "much more useable space," said Lerner, adding "the parking's great. There's parking on both sides of the street and three different lots." The new store has the same sections as the Bay View one, including Owl & Turtle's signature children's, Maine and marine sections. The main difference will be events. "We'll have more signings and more children's events," Lerner added.
