Turning the Page: Respected Independent Book Shop Seeks New Ownership

By Bill Furbee, Contributor

For the past five years, Caroline Stine begins her day by preparing Blue Marble Books for the day ahead.

“I turn on the lights … clean down any surfaces, put out the sign, and turn on the computers,” she says. “But opening the store isn’t what makes it serve customers–the work we put in over time is what makes this place a pillar and safe space within the community,” she explains.

“Opening the store merely opens the doors–but the care and planning that goes into running it is what makes it special.”

Founded in 1979 by Tina Moore, Blue Marble Books has since become a community staple — “a hub for generations of readers,” Caroline says, gaining new customers every day.

 After Tina’s passing in 2016, her husband Peter took over the business; Caroline, who manages the store, explains “Peter is what I would term 90% retired, meaning that he makes sure we get the bills paid and I make sure that everything else happens, like the store operations. His goal was always to retire, and me taking over all day-to-day operations meant he could almost be that way.”

The impact of Blue Marble Books is difficult to overestimate.

“We have visitors from other states, other countries, all coming to see (our) Great Green Room and the wide variety of books we carry,” Caroline says. “I can easily tell you that this store serves thousands of people yearly, and has served at least three generations of customers.”

Peter also points out that, over the years, Blue Marble Books has worked with schools across the tri-state to develop and supply school and classroom libraries, and provide books for school book fairs and author/illustrator visits.

But now, however, Peter and Caroline are searching for a new owner, someone who can carry Blue Marble Books and its inclusive mission into a new era for readers.

“It’s bittersweet. Running a small business is hard; it takes throwing yourself 300% into it, and when it isn’t yours, per se, that makes the effort and time spent even harder when you lose it,” Caroline says. “I wish I could be the person to take over and own the Blue Marble–many people in town already think I do – but I simply cannot afford to. I’m a teacher and an artist; buying a business doesn’t exist in my pocket book,” she says.

Until that new owner is found, Caroline and Peter are dedicated to Tina’s original mission for the store.

Blue Marble Books was intended to be “a haven for all children, no matter who they were,” Caroline says. “She felt strongly that they should be able to walk in and find themselves in a book — no matter their race, religion, sexuality, or economic background.”

Finding a new owner wasn’t a decision that Peter has taken lightly.

“While my heart wants to stay,” he says, “I know it is time for me to retire and leave the business in new hands.

“It’s taken me a long time to reach this step.”