Northern Lights to Close March 1

In late January 2000, a deadly fire ripped through the small downtown of St. Johnsbury, Vermont: three men were killed, one building was burned to the ground, another building was severely damaged, two major businesses were destroyed, and another five were ruined or had to shut down, including a popular independent bookstore, Northern Lights Bookshop & Cafe, which lost its entire inventory due to smoke and water damage.

Though four years have past since the tragedy, the town has not entirely recovered. As a result, Northern Lights co-owner Caroline DiMaio recently announced that, barring a last minute purchase of the bookstore, Northern Lights will close for good on March 1. The decision to close, DiMaio said, "has been a long time in coming."

Northern Lights first opened 27 years ago and became a well-known gathering place for the residents of St. Johnsbury, as reported by local newspaper, the Caledonian-Record. For the first 17 years of its history, Northern Lights was a bookstore, but 10 years ago the bookstore was transformed into a bookstore and cafe after Vanna Guldenschuh became a co-owner.

The combination bookstore/cafe was successful, but the fire took the heart out of what had once been a vibrant downtown. For the past four years "there were fewer reasons for people to come downtown," she said. "We were closed for four months. Our inventory was declared a loss, and we reopened with a diminished inventory…. Our regular customers came back, but there are several stores missing." Furthermore, because the building next door was destroyed, "[the area surrounding the store] was a construction site for two years -- we were part of the construction site."

Keeping the store afloat during these times has been challenging, DiMaio said, though she has faith that downtown St. Johnsbury will soon become a vibrant place once again. "The downtown buildings now have been restored, and they're looking for tenants," she said, and stressed: "There is a promise for downtown, and there aren't big boxes nearby…. Everything is being restored. [The town] has wonderful cultural institutions."

For the past three years, DiMaio and Guldenschuh have been hoping to find someone, who sees this potential, to buy the bookstore, but, thus far, have been unsuccessful -- though there have been several recent inquiries. "It is interesting that, since we announced that we were closing on March 1, there's been renewed interest [from potential buyers]," she reported. "We have no offer … but we have hope that it may not close. Anyone who is interested in buying a bookstore -- it's a very good deal!"

DiMaio acknowledged she "will miss everything about bookselling. I will miss the moment-by-moment contact with books … [and] the customers. Plus, my [13] employees have been great." But after 27 years, she added, "it's time to move on." -- David Grogan