White Birch Books Celebrates Owners -- Present and Past

White Birch Books The Front Counter General Fiction Upstairs

Thirteen-year-old White Birch Books in North Conway, New Hampshire, part of the scenic Mount Washington Valley, has a new owner. The news was recently announced with great pleasure by the store's founder and now former owner, Donna Urey. Laura Lucy, a bookseller at White Birch Books for the past seven years, and native of the area, is the new owner.

In May 2004, Urey told BTW that her decision to sell the store was not made impulsively nor as a result of any misfortune, personal or financial. "The store is happy and so am I," Urey said at the time.

The 3,200 square-foot bookstore moved from a mall location to its own building in the village five years ago -- doubling its previous space and greatly increasing its connection to the local community. New owner Lucy told BTW that one of the many things she has learned from Urey is "that we have a very important role as independent booksellers and how important it is to participate in the community at the local level, as well as regionally and nationally."

Asked about what else she's learned from Urey, Lucy adamantly said, "How about everything!

"I came to the bookstore with a love of books, some retail experience, thinking how awesome it was going to be to read all day. A myth. And now I have been schooled in the role of the independent bookstore in the community and the world beyond. Donna left some very big shoes to fill in the bookselling community, and we will work hard to try to fill them. Although Donna is now officially retired, she is just in the next town and promises to accept my calls and do her best to answer the millions of questions I'm sure I'll have. I think that should make for a good transition."

Lucy credits Urey with her entree into bookselling. "I met Donna through our local Chamber of Commerce, and, when I left there, she took pity on me and gave me a part-time job. It has been a match ever since," said Lucy.

"I'm originally from the area, having gone to school here, and graduating from the local high school. After going away to college and doing the corporate job thing for several years, I came back to the valley where I met my husband -- a seventh generation native of the area -- and settled down.

"My goal is to keep all the good parts of White Birch Books going and growing. We have a very healthy event schedule, including the favorite -- the Annual Valley Book Group Gala. I lead two very established book groups that have been meeting at the store for more than five years. The clubs' members have become a core customer group and a great sounding board, not to mention a wonderful extended family.

"I think the only changes planned are really personality based. We'll look at everything with a fresh eye and see what happens. As the mother of an almost two-year-old, I'm a little focused on the children's section of the store, and have already rearranged some things there. But, overall, we want to continue to be the community bookstore -- the place with the coffee and the couches, the cool author events and the great reviews." --Nomi Schwartz