Former librarian is new owner of Annie's Book Stop

LACONIA — Simone Henderson loves to read, so a 14-year career in library science was a natural choice for her. After brief break from books, she's back in the bound business, having assumed proprietorship of Annie's Book Stop on far north Union Avenue on the first day of this year.

Henderson's career as a librarian included time spent working at Bates College, in the University of Maine system and, for the final three years, in the New Hampshire State Library. She left that career to take part in a family business. That move didn't work out as planned, and in August of last year she found herself looking for something to do.

She looked for work in a library and other positions she might qualify for. She said, "Nothing came up," until September, when her husband Keith walked into Annie's Book Stop, where the Hendersons had been regular customers. Four years prior, Keith told the then-owner, Judy Normandin, that he's like to know if she was ever willing to sell. It just so happened that time had come, coinciding with his wife's period of unemployment.

By January 1 of this year, the Hendersons were the new proprietors of the store, which is part of an association of similarly-titled businesses found in dozens of locations in New England, and one in Florida.

The Laconia Annie's was opened in 1983 and is currently the sole book store in the city. Most of Annie's business is used books, though the store also sells new books at a discounted rate and jigsaw puzzles.

Simone said she has a total stock of books exceeding 20,000. There's few places she'd rather be than among stacks of books, which is why she spent many hours at Annie's before she knew she would someday own the place. "I liked the atmosphere, I'm a real browser. You never know what you're going to find in here, it's a treasure hunt."

Although she said that "any book store runs like a library," Annie's is even more so like Simone's previous career. Customers don't need an account or membership card, but they're welcome to buy books, read them and bring them back to exchange for store credit. Most regular customers do just that.

Annie's regulars have come to rely upon the recommendations of Simone's five employees, who she said are a valuable resource. All avid readers, they have expertise in differing genres and Simone said regulars can expect to find a hit in the "staff picks" section. Many customers have found a particular staff member whose tastes align with theirs – not an unusual occurrence considering that the store's turnover of employees is unusually low. The average length of employment is greater than a decade. "They're a wealth of knowledge," she said.

Simone is preparing for the store's annual February romance novel sale. She's also planning to host an open house and author signings.

Though she's only two weeks into her ownership experience, Simone said she's happy to be back among the books. "If you're a real bookworm and you read a lot, this is the place for you," she said.

CAPTION for ANNIE'S

Simone Henderson, the new proprietor of Annie's Book Stop in Laconia, is shown here with her husband Keith. Simone comes to the business after spending 14 years in library science. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)