During her freshman year at Wellesley College, Janet Potter took a part-time job at a nearby independent bookstore. It was less money and more hours than most on-campus jobs, but this was irrelevant. Put simply, “I’m a book person,” says Potter, over coffee on a recent afternoon. “I’ll always be a book person.”

Five years later the part-time gig has turned into a full-time career as Events Coordinator for Brookline Booksmith, the small yet lovable Coolidge Corner fixture.