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03/28/2017 03:45 PMIt has been a fixture on the Town Green for almost half a century, and this month, Breakwater Books is celebrating 45 years of business in Guilford with a weekend of activities and a new owner.
Maureen Corcoran co-owned the store for 10 years but has decided to step back, selling her share of the business to Liza Fixx. After almost 20 years with the store, Corcoran said it was time to let someone else take the lead.
“I think we need to develop new and fresh ideas to keep the business relevant and I am accustomed to running the store in probably the manner of my predecessors,” she said. “I do the ordering and just the day-to-day operations in a certain way that is just not necessarily always to the advancement of the store.”
Corcoran said Fixx was the natural person to succeed her. Fixx, who spent close to 20 years as a teacher and has a strong background in children’s literature, has worked at the store for a few years and said she is excited to begin this new phase.
“I feel honored to have had Maureen as my mentor for the past two years,” she said. “I have learned so much and hopefully she won’t be too far away as I move through this transition. She has really set a high bar in terms of the integrity of the store and her impeccable management skills.”
Corcoran said the staff at the store and all of the people involved with the business over the years have made it everything it is today.
Marion Young and Marion Harold founded the bookstore decades ago. Fixx purchased the store from Corcoran and Young's three children, Skip Davis, David Young, and Vinni Davis, who said her mother left quite a legacy with the store and as a small business owner.
“She broke the glass ceiling,” said Vinni Davis. “I just thought for a woman to be doing that at that age and that time says a lot for her. She just loved that bookstore and she loved Guilford.”
Situated on the Town Green, the store has been in its current location for 35 years after moving from the spot currently occupied by the Hen and Heifer. The current building was built in 1749 and was previously used as a green grocer, leading Fixx to consider a few cosmetic upgrades in the near future.
“Without taking away any of the essence or charm of the bookstore because it is such a treasure, I think there will be a revitalization of the store and eventually we hope to create event spaces so that we can host authors at the store as opposed to at the library or other off-site venues,” she said.
No changes will be made to the outside of the store or the general structure of the building, but Fixx said rejuvenating the space is important.
“We want to bring our physical space up to the level of our service,” she said. “Our booksellers and our staff are premium and the people who know us recognize that...We are not just a bookstore; we are an invaluable part of the community.”
In the 45 years the store has been in business, Fixx and Corcoran said there have been many exciting events and moments—both mentioned the filming of Hope Springs, part of which was shot in the store and brought actress Meryl Streep to town—but there have been some challenges too.
With the advent of online markets and the ability to buy and consume books online, Corcoran said a number of customers come in to the store saying they want to buy from them, but an equal number look at books in store and then elect to buy online.
“It has to be an intention to support local businesses,” she said. “We still have no chain stores on the Green…It is something I think people are very much aware of, the shop local movement.”
Despite the ability to buy online, Fixx said the numbers for the store are still positive.
“The industry statistics are showing that independent bookstore sales have increased three percent every year for the last few years, which is pretty significant,” she said.
Looking ahead, Fixx said she wants to continue to grow the store’s online presence, both through social media and the possibility of starting to allow customers to order books from the store online. And she wants to maintain the unique character of the store.
“I think it is a place where people feel even if they are not buying books, ...they can exchange ideas,” she said. “When you are in a store with books that are dealing with relevant topics, it just sort of encourages an exchange of ideas.”
The Anniversary Celebration
To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the store, a series of events will be held on Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9.
Events will include live music, a champagne toast, a scavenger hunt, children’s bookmark contest, and prizes and raffles. Fixx said it is a good way to celebrate the store, but it is more than that.
“It is a thank you to the community for supporting us for 45 years,” she said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated that Liza Fixx was now co-owner of the store with Marion Young's three children: Skip Davis, David Young, and Vinni Davis; Fixx is the sole owner.