The Shops Around the Corner is a Place to stop and Renew in Hobart

HOBART — Books. Books are more than the collected information and images in them. They are a tactile memory of who we are and where we have been. When my mother was a very little girl, she was given a copy of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, the 1922 edition, illustrated by Milo Winter. One day, she gave that copy to me. When I pick it up, in my hands, I hold the times of my mother's childhood, between the wars, when there was still magic and the unknown underwater. My life has book landmarks, when my math tutor, David Damrosch put the Hobbit into my hands or when my English tutor Diane Rosen introduced me to the writing of her friend Hannah Arendt . The object in my hands reflects the journey I took to find it as well as the journey the writer has taken to weave its chronicle.

Most of my readers here in the Catskills know that there is a book village, Hobart. Hobart is the little village that could, to paraphrase the title of a well loved children's book. It is early morning, on the Irish New Year, Samhain (sow-win for English speakers.) I am walking down the quiet main street seeing the for-rent signs, and the empty shell of a shop I loved so well. Like the valiant little village, The Shops Around the Corner has been through a lot, and bore the weight of the times with courage and grace. As Samhain or Halloween heralds the death of the sweet days of warm breezes and brightly colored flowers, it also promises rebirth after snuggling down for the resting of deathlike cold.  Aye, there's the rub; For in that sleep of winter's death what dreams may come - between the covers of a warm bed, between the covers of a good book, and what dreams are lingering in a cup of tea on the night table.

I am sitting with Julie Rockefeller. She describes her day job as a librarian. She is on the Board of the library in Stamford, and runs a small but resilient little library in Hobart. But, in truth, she wears several hats. She is the events coordinator for the Hobart Festival of Women Writers, and she knits. We spoke at the opening of the exhibit of the work of 19th century photographer, Anna Carroll where Julie was the co-curator of the exhibition with Peter J. de Silva. Some of her many hats. We are surrounded by books which neighbors have carried from the former shop to this one. 

The story really begins with Julie beginning a community library in the Methodist Church in Hobart thanks to the good graces of the late Barbara Hoover Stevens, a trustee of the Church. In the autumn of 2019, Julie's small library joined two other shops to move into the Hobart Inn on Main Street.  Diana Adams (co-owner of Wm. H. Adams Antiquarian Books) and Barbara Balliet (co-owner of Blenheim Hill Books) teamed up to create "More Good Books." Their partnership was born out of a collection of books which did not fit categories in their main stores. Another small room at the Inn housed The Hobart Exchange, a Vintage Clothing shop. The three shared the rent, and the result was a place where one explored one small room after another of small treasures. They took turns through the week, serving as the host, greeter and guide for the three shops. The biggest room in the Inn was the home of the Dinner Plate Restaurant.

In March of 2020, the world had to suddenly adjust to the COVID emergency. Julie's small library began to take phone requests and leave shopping bags of requested books on the doorstep for patrons to pick up. The collection of shops adapted to the situation. But challenges were not over for the shops. In March of 2021, there was a fire in the building adjoining the Post Office, the cluster of buildings which housed Barbara Balliet and Cheryl Clarke's Blenheim Hill Books.

2022, Don Dales sold the Hobart Inn. The Dinner Plate Restaurant had moved to Stamford, and the new owner of the Hobart Inn asked Julie if she knew of a potential tenant. Julie had been supporting the library by knitting. One of her most lucrative outlets was Mindl's shop in Stamford, under the leadership of Julie's good friend  Hannah Mindl Gittler-Muccino. When Mindl's closed, it left a gap. Hannah had made the store into a multi-use community hub. For example, it was a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)  drop-off and pick up spot for fresh local goods, like farm-fresh eggs. She also had space for honey, syrup, and artisanal food items made by nearby producers. So Julie Rockefeller decided that, rather than looking for another tenant, they would expand into the space once occupied by the restaurant and take on a greater mission. Julie would develop an "economic engine" buying and selling things, that would not be run for her profit, but rather would support the library. The expanded space would also serve the community providing a home for a knitting group, a book group, a chair-yoga group, and lectures. But as many readers know, after a successful expansion, a huge challenge raised up its head and the building was condemned.

However, never one to give up, Julie has opened "The Shops Around the Corner," 40 Cornell Street in Hobart, quite literally around the corner from their old address. She and Susana Caban of Bird and Botanical Art, have brought together More Good Books; Susana Caban -  Art and Music and Home Goods; Hipstich Academy, wearables, mending and alterations; Quarry Books, Mystery, Sci-fi and Fantasy; Zasu Vintage, Clothing and Accessories;  and The Hobart Exchange, special things for every day.

As we began to talk, Julie promised me that a surprise new addition to the community of stores awaited in the next room. In fact, there in a small but cozy little space, created by colorful screens was a scene to warm my Anglo Irish heart. Shelves of antique tea cups, tea pots, all sorts of tea service including the more than appreciated tea cozies to keep the pot warm. Coffee is more than great in the workplace, on your desk late at night writing as an overworked law student. But, to settle down to a good book, there is nothing like a cup of properly prepared tea. There is now a small but perfect tea shop in the collection of shops. Susana Caban serves up tea, hot chocolate, mushroom coffee and some little snacks. She also has vintage teapots for sale, tea cups, tea cozies, vintage aprons and more. Much of the for sale items are from Kathy Duyer, who oversaw the Creative Corner Bookstore. Susana is aided by her husband, who seeks out treasures in local stores. And, Susana carves linoleum blocks to print on tea towels. All this as the holiday seasons approach, stroll, don't run to The Shops Around the Corner in Hobart. https://www.thehobartexchange.com/