It’s doubtful that anyone has been particularly cheered by the window posters now hanging at the Compleat Bookseller announcing its going out of business sale. As many know, Lanny Parks is retiring both herself and her store at the end of August, and there is an unmistakable sense of grieving within Chestertown’s large book-loving community.
The town’s “corner bookstore” has been a reality of Chestertown life for more than thirty years. Starting when the Corsica Bookstore in Centreville expanded to Chestertown under the tender care of Helen Mann, and later with Lanny’s Compleat Bookseller, the corner of High and Cross Streets sent a gentle message to all who visited the historic district that Chestertown was first and foremost a town that loved books.
In time, two other remarkable bookstores, Bookplate and the Chestertown Old Book Company, would follow, and for more than ten glorious years, this small town of 5,000 supported three high-quality bookstores within a block of each other; an experience rarely found outside of large international cities.
So it is understandable that Chestertown would collectively shed tears in watching its flagship bookstore closing its doors forever this month. It marks the end of one era and perhaps worrisome beginning of another, when books and bookstores slowly become extinct as the march for “cloud” based bookstores and e-books seems inevitable.
Perhaps one of the reasons Chestertown loves its bookstores is best suggested by Jerry Seinfeld’s line, “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.” With Lanny’s Compleat Bookseller, that was certainly the case. For more than a decade of poetry readings, writers’ programs, lectures and special children’s events, the Compleat fueled a community’s love of thinking that will be sorely missed on High Street.
fletcher r. hall says
Often what is retained between the ears begins beteen the pages of a book.
Books make a library, especially for individual collectors. Independent book shops, new and used are the source and building blocks for such endavors.
Good sevrice, great conversation and a knowlwdge of product make for a GREAT retail shop.
There will be a very noticable void in Chestertown.
Constance says
During our time in ever interesting and warmly welcoming Chestertown, this store was one of the first places our hosts showed us — and where we were introduced to the Mayor ….
It’s retirement is indeed a loss.
Kaye Salverda says
As a new resident of Chestertown, I have been alarmed at all of the small businesses, in the downtown area that have closed, just since my arrival a year ago.
I don’t know what the answer is, to what seems to be the gutting of the historical area of Chestertown. More alarming is the fact that new businesses are not
replacing them. People seem to be going out of town to do their shopping and I am sure that it is easier for them to do all of their shopping in these other places as well. I totally understand the resistance to having “big box” stores in our town. It does, however, seem to me, that hiding our heads from what seems to be reality is also foolish. Times have changed so rapidly and radically that we, in some way, need to change with them. I find myself doing more and more shopping on the internet rather than drive to Easton to shop. I have found that this is not always a perfect answer either. I like to see,
feel, try on something that I am going to purchase, rather than trusting someone on the other end of my Google search for products I seek. I love the historical aspect to our town, we need to keep them and share them with others………..I am just fearful that soon there will not be much of a town left. We will have nothing to share with visitors. The downtown problem coupled with the downsizing of our local hospital and health care system is very alarming to me.
Kevin Shertz says
Hi Kaye, in short, Chestertown is undergoing the midst of a retirement wave of Baby Boomer, etc.-aged businesses. There are several current challenges — near and afar — that need to be recognized:
1. There are not as many younger people here — and certainly fewer that are necessarily interested in or able to replace these current businesses. It’s a huge, huge demographics challenge that sadly I think too many people want to simply cover their ears to and say “la-la-la.”
2. Many, many, buildings in the downtown are for sale, and not necessarily at prices that reflect current market value, the median wages of this community, and/or demand for products/businesses that justify their current operating costs. This points to lower prices in the future as people as some people wait it all out. There is no problem in real estate that a lower price can’t fix (unless you’re the one who’s underwater on your current mortgage, of course.) I bought my house in 2005. Were I to try to sell it now, I’d definitely have to price it at least 30% less for it to sell. I don’t like that reality at all, but it is the reality I’d face. Very frustrating.
3. We are less than 90 days from a hotly-contested election, and one that may have broad implications.
4. The current unstable economic situation in Europe (heh… just wait ’til they all get back from holiday in September!) has broad implications for the world economy.
But now, let me put a sugar center on my otherwise bitter pill: I currently have my own practice as an Architect here in Chestertown and hope to open another unrelated business in the coming years (see #2 among other factors.) There’s a lot of desire by people here to do things, but many things require time to evolve.
I’m very optimistic for the long term future of the Town, and feel like we’re actually better positioned that many other communities on the shore. We have a waterfront, farmland, and a range of amenity types within true walking distance of each other — and that’s actually true for multiple communities (Rock Hall, Chestertown, Galena, Millington) within Kent County.
The “big boxes” you mention rely on a cheap energy market, just-in-time delivery system, and favorable exchange rates with foreign countries that make many of those big box products. That’s how they are sustainable. We can absorb the loss and re-use of a 10,000 square foot space much easier than a 100,000 square foot one. One can only support so many flea markets, antique malls, laser tag arenas, and indoor go-cart centers moving forward…
Keith Thompson says
And in reply to your first point…how much has the politics and direction of the town in the last couple of decades contributed to the lack of younger people with the energy and the capital to invest in the town to replace the retiring business owners? As much as folks like you, Doug at Evergrain or JR at Lemon Leaf are able to fill that void, the problem is that you can’t be cloned four or five times. There’s not enough of you moving to Chestertown or staying in Chestertown to sustain the community long term. Perhaps the entrenched town leadership has been in power too long and needs to step aside (or be voted aside) to allow some in new blood and some new ideas that will attract more young entrepreneurs.
Kevin Shertz says
Interesting theory, but in our last election, the youngest member of the Town Council was voted out after a single, partial, term.
Keith Thompson says
And largely due to reaction over the passing of a controversial and polarizing town ordinance.
Kevin Shertz says
Actually, I think most young families make life choices based of quality of the public school system for their children.
Keith Thompson says
And the ability to fund a quality school system comes from having a strong economic tax revenue base to keep the property tax rate down in order to attract younger families. Areas that have strong local economies tend to have the best public schools.
Jamie Williams says
More $$ Doesn’t = Better Education. Kent’s per pupil cost (federal, state and county funding included) is 3rd in the state, Queen Anne’s is 22nd, and Queen Anne’s MSA scores are considerably higher.
Steve Atkinson says
Kevin, you are right. We are at the point where a lot of long term businesses are reaching retirement age of their owners. But unfortunately those businesses aren’t being taken over by the younger generation. That was the cornerstone to small businesses in the past. The business was passed to the children of the owners and then to the Grand Children. The true Family Business.
As you said we still have a core to bring things back to life. The Waterfront, The College, and plenty of arts and other entertainment. I feel as if Small Businesses can and will thrive in the future. It’s just taking those steps to get there. Steps that will include a quality of life as part of the formula and not the all mighty dollar.
mary wood says
Our town will be incompleat now.
connie goodwin says
We all owe a real debt of thanks to Lanny (and her crew) for being there, through thick and thin as the digital age threatened, still ready to serve the wishes and needs of all Kent County, (and much of northern QA,) not just Chestertown. Let’s hope she really knows how much she is appreciated by many more folks than those she knows by their names, those who are only semi-regulars. Let’s also hope that she’s aware of how proud as local residents we have all been to point out that we have such a complete Compleat bookseller living and working in our midst.
Thank you Lanny. You’re a special gal, you’ve worked SO hard, and you’ve made a real difference.
jenifer says
Right you are, Connie. Thank you so much, Lanny.
Gerard Cataldo says
Ah, bookstores we have known and loved. As proprietor of one of the surviving bookstores in Chestertown I say thank you to the Compleat Bookseller for its years of “service” to the community. Trust me, I know how difficult it has been for all of us in the rapidly changing book business, and to compound the evolutionary trend in reading habits, publishing, collecting, and book buying, we are in the midst of this perfect economic storm that is devastating many small businesses. The small independent bookstore has been battling with the giants, especially Amazon, for many years, and although I hate to admit it, I think we are losing the war. Our shop sells mainly reasonably priced second-hand books and some rare ones, some newly published books, and books we have published ourselves as Chester River Press. Even so, like the bookstores specializing in new books, the market has deteriorated as people hold off on their buying, or shop Amazon, or punch up their Kindles or I-pads and settle in to read the bestseller or Shakespeare’s Tragedies. More alarming of course is the prospect that people aren’t settling in at all to read anything except some internet sites, on-line news, Facebook, and the like. The competition for our “leisure time” is increasingly won by these quick visits to the ether, whether television or computer screen. That said, there are always a few bright spots, such as the trend with children’s and young-adult readership of popular novels, which are eventually filmed with huge success. It is encouraging to hear young people admonish one another for not reading the book before seeing the movie! We could all take some lessons from them.
Lanny fought the good fight, presenting stimulating reading material for the young and the mature. For that she should be congratulated, fondly remembered, and appreciated. It would have been more satisfying, of course, had the customers constantly overflowed her bookstore so that closing would have been simply out of the question. We should all be so fortunate. Speaking for ourselves at the Old Book Co., we try to keep spirits up and continue on, but we daily wonder just how long that can continue. Chestertown is changing, as some of the commenters have mentioned. We are fortunate to have a small, loyal, local following, but frankly if it were not for internet sales, and festivals and special weekends/holidays, when out-of-towners visit in large numbers, the prospects for staying in business would be dimmer than they already are. I wish there were a way to encourage the public to come by the remaining bookstores in town, have a browse, and support us, but I fear it is an uphill fight.
So another bookstore closes. It is a sad day for all of us in the book trade, and a sad day for Chestertown.
Gerry Maynes says
Hi. This week Book Lovers had reason to celabrate that the 9Th Street Bookshop in Wilmington a30 year insttution. found a new store a few blocks away and now will not close. Now this bad news that this shop is to close. I can remember when Chestertown had two book stores one adjacent to the Super Fresh in the Washington Center amd the store that is about to close. I guess it is a sign of the times, kids read books on Kindle or buy them from Amazon. My own kids have tried and will continue to try to get me to adjust to a Kindle. But when a bookstore closes a little bit of all of us are poorer.
Nancy Schwerzler says
As a resident of a county that has long had not a single bookstore (Cecil County), I was an intermittent visitor to the Compleat, as well as the other bookstores in Chestertown. Every time I visited, I lamented the cultural differences between Chestertown (a very civilized place) and Cecil County (known locally as Ceciltucky). Best wishes to the retiring Compleat owner, and many thanks for her perseverence. But Chestertown residents should still thank their lucky stars to live and shop in such a distinctive, civilized town. Even though some of your local institutions have closed or changed, you are still so far ahead of other areas in the region that are larger in population but much smaller in options and opportunities.
eliott bruce says
Most small business own their buildings . As time goes buy they pay off morgage and that becomes part of value in their business. Do not think the small stores in C.T.own buildings so have only business to sell and nothing for buyers to buy.It is my understanding owner of book store building donated it to Historic group. So took a big tax deduction. Was the sale based on that a new book store can not rent space. I belive we still should recieve property tax for building and not give zoning to a non-profit that produces no employees, sale tax, property tax
L MOORHOUSE says
Congrats to Lanny for the successful run! The reason there are empty stores at the present time may be directly attributed to the very slow economy that is plaguing our neck of the woods. Credit is very tight…business is slow. This will all change eventually. In the mean time it is important for all of us to support our local businesses instead of spending all that time and gas running to Middletown.
Will Tmay says
I liked the bookstore, frequented in hopes it would thrive, and think she was a nice woman.