03/16/2026
Dear Friends,
I am writing with sudden and heavy news about Boswell’s Books. On Friday, I was told that the building that has been home to Boswell’s for many years came under new ownership. We were informed that the new owner will be repurposing the main-level space that has been our bookstore and that it will no longer be available for us to operate Boswell’s there. While we were offered the basement location at 10 Bridge Street, we don’t believe it would be a good space for the store. Since the new owner intends to begin the renovations for his use in April, we plan on moving our book collection to our Greenfield store, Roundabout Books, at the end of March. We will maintain all of our staff employment at Roundabout, so no one will be losing their job. Of course this comes as a blow to our shop and our family, especially as we prepared to enter our busy spring season.
I feel strongly how much I will miss what we’ve built at Boswell’s. Many of you have seen me late at night delivering books to Bozzy’s. Especially in this last year, when our booksellers have continued to refine our shop, I have often stopped in the middle of my hauling and looked through the dim shop. I felt: this is exactly where I wanted to be. I would enunciate my feeling that Boswell’s is a jewel. It is a very special place, made more so, since we were carrying on a project that started in the 1990s with prior owners. We put our heart in it. In our tenure with the shop, I can clearly recall the work of moving the beautiful new shelves we bought from the estate Waiting for Godot Books, which Nancy Dole called me to tell us about. My mom gave us her collection of paintings to hang and her two antique library tables, which were small enough to fit in narrow spaces, to hold our new arrivals. Our booksellers, Hallie and Emma, have been wonderful, and had a true vision of a world-class collection of books. From the beginning, they cataloged books for both stores and we agreed they would get the first pick of the very best used books we had. It showed; I sometimes envied our own books! This year, Boswell’s Books was exactly what I had hoped for and knew it could be.
We may return to Shelburne Falls, if and when we find the right location for Boswell’s Books. It is a great place to be and an eager community for literature. We are now practiced at operating and staffing two stores, something that I never imagined before Ken and Nancy Eisenstein approached me about Boswell’s in 2021. It has been a pleasure to serve Shelburne Falls for four years. Sweet Boswell herself, our bookstore cat, who is now 17 years old, will be adopted to a loving family. We have had a lot of interest from our customers and friends wanting to share their home with her in her senior years. I also couldn’t have hoped for a sweeter, more gentle bookstore cat than Boswell.
I feel deeply grateful for your support of our independent bookshop. In 2026, I am mindful of just how meaningful it is to have been able to thrive in a small New England village. I want to invite you to visit us at Roundabout Books, too, as many of you do already. You will find all the love of books and genuine welcome you have come to expect from us. From me personally, thank you for letting me live this literary life. I feel and appreciate your choice to shop with us.
As you might expect, this month our attention will be on the logistics of moving our collection of 10,000 books that currently proudly occupy 10 Bridge Street. We’ll have a Boswell’s reception at Roundabout Books on Saturday, April 4th, with complimentary tea and baked goods from our friends at Rise Above Bakery. Come over if you time allows and you’ll be warmly received.
Sincerely,
Raymond
Roundabout Books
https://roundaboutbookstore.com/
