Owners seek buyer to keep Amherst Books alive downtown

AMHERST — Occupying a prominent storefront in the historic Cook’s Block on Main Street, just off the main intersection and steps from Town Hall, Amherst Books is the last brick-and-mortar retailer in downtown Amherst where readers can find the latest novel, romance or nonfiction work.

While there has been a major shift in the commercial district — an area that once had nine thriving bookshops throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s — the continued increase in apartments in Amherst center, and more people living downtown, has benefited the business, according to co-owners Nat Herold and Shannon Ramsey.

“A shop like ours, we’re seeing an increase in customers, folks who are excited to see we still exist,” says Ramsey. “To be a retail shop in downtown Amherst now is a rare thing.”

For Herold, the 8 Main St. site is where he has worked since 1998, first managing the Atticus Bookshop from the location and then, in 2003, joined by about a dozen investors, taking over the store with co-founder Mark Wootten, and renaming it Amherst Books.

Now, though, Herold and Ramsey are seeking to sell the inventory and the Amherst Books name, bringing the latest era in bookselling to a close.

“We’re hoping to sell to someone who envisions being able to continue the foundation that has been laid,” Ramsey said. “We feel pretty passionately that there should be a bookstore in business in Amherst.”

The co-owners are not making the decision lightly, but Herold observes that he has sold books in town since arriving to Amherst in 1981, running Goliard Books from a nearby spot on North Pleasant Street from 1983 to 1990.

Ramsey was hired to work in Amherst Books’ textbook section in 2008 and was a part-time bookseller, leaving for a few years and then returning to work and apprenticing with Wootten until he retired to Maine in 2017.

“I’ve enjoyed it so much and there are always new challenges to rise to,” Ramsey said.

The co-owners have brought continuity with customers even as the store is affected by the growth of online sales. Ironically, the tough times of the pandemic may have helped the business, as they continued to deliver books to customers, building loyalty that is still paying dividends.

“What we’re seeing since the pandemic is that people who buy physical books prefer coming into a physical shop,” Ramsey said.

Herold said that people visiting bookstores are curious and interested in learning.

“A lot of people still coming in say, ‘we want a book,’” Herold said. “That does seem to have increased.”

What draws them are new novels, some academics, poetry and politics, mystery and science fiction and a surprising surge in romance. There is also a section for used books.

Since Hastings, the longtime downtown store, closed, Amherst Books has also branched out to offering greeting cards, stationary and curated local gifts.

Ramsey said the store was once “foundational” in textbooks, but that has changed. “In the age of Amazon, we saw that get cut every year,” Ramsey said.

While there are still departments and professors who order books, there has been a notable reduction to the business, with Amherst College most recently cutting ties. “We’re still technically the Hampshire College bookstore,” Herold said.

But Amherst Books still does over 100 events a year, about half at the bookstore, with others at spaces like UMass Downtown. Herold and Ramsey are also invited to sell books on the campuses, which keeps them in touch with those in academia.

“That is a draw to readings, book launch parties,” Herold said.

Part of the appeal is at the entrance, too, with staff picks, reflecting, at least to some degree, conditions across the country and globe.

For Ramsey, one of her current choices is “Prophet Song” by Paul Lynch, a 2023 Booker Prize-winning novel that imagines a fascist takeover of a near-future Ireland.

“It feels so present to dealing with civil liberties in our country and war creeping in,” Ramsey said.

Herold’s selections include “The German Lesson,” a 1968 novel by Siegfried Lenz that explores the rise of fascism and the pursuit by Nazis of a painter, based on expressionist Emil Nolde.

Herold loved the landscape of the novel so much that he experienced it on a trip to the northern part of Germany.

For customers, the store remains essential.

“Amherst Books is one of my favorite parts of living in Amherst,” said Britt Rusert, executive editor of The Massachusetts Review, and a professor in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts. “It’s been important for many aspects of my life and my work.”

Rusert said the bookstore has been wonderful when ordering materials for courses.

“I think of Amherst Books and the library as the anchors of downtown Amherst,” she said.

Bob Rosen, a local running coach and Amherst native, said having a local bookshop is a wonderful resource. “I probably go in there once a week, and I order books from there all the time,” Rosen said.

“Amherst Books is very important to have in this community,” Rosen said. “Nat and Shannon and everyone in the store is extremely friendly. Not having Amherst Books would be a loss, so I’m hoping for the best.”

Nick Seamon, who recently hit a 40th anniversary milestone of owning the nearby Black Sheep Deli, said there was a time when people would travel to Amherst, stay at the Inn on Boltwood, then known as the Lord Jeffery Inn, and make a weekend of hopping from shop to shop, with each bookstore catering to different tastes.

They also brought synergy to other businesses, as college students would have to head out to all corners of downtown to buy their textbooks.

That draw is also recalled by Herold. “People came from Cambridge because we had a better selection,” Herold said.

Even to this day, Amherst Books remains on a bookstore crawl and there is a lot of camaraderie in the business.

Business Improvement District Executive Director John Page said that Amherst Books holds a special place in downtown, both as a bookseller, as well as being home to author talks, poetry readings and musical performances.

“We are deeply grateful to Nat and Mark, and later Shannon, for more than two decades of devoted stewardship at Amherst Books,” Page said. “Operating an independent bookstore is both joyful and demanding work, and they have carried that responsibility with passion.”

The mantra of buying local and supporting small businesses is also true.

“We are confident that new ownership will find both a loyal customer base and a community that understands how essential a local bookstore is to the vitality of our economic ecosystem,” Page said.

The sale includes both the inventory and the name and advertising but also fielding inquiries at shannon@amherstbooks.com

Bookstore jobs are always in demand, with workers often staying 10 or more years.

“I would like if someone bought it we’d prefer if they kept the staff, and I would like to stay on part time,” said Herold, of South Deerfield

Amherst Books has three full-time and two part-time workers. “They’re all terrific,” Herold said.

“It’s a passion project,” said Ramsey, who makes her home in Turners Falls and will pursue work in geriatric and end-of-life care when she leaves the business. “You have to know your community, you need to know the people.”

It’s a happy occasion to pass the baton.

“But definitely an opportunity here and we still see potential for a bookstore,” she added.

Herold is succinct in why someone should buy the business. “Books are good,” he said.

Ramsey compliments Herold on what he has meant to Amherst. “Nat has become a pillar of the community,” Ramsey said.

Herold chuckled. “I’m just hoping to ward off being a pillar of salt,” he said.

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