A new chapter for city
English-language bookstore moves in
It has been years since Lawrence has had an English-language bookstore. That's about to change, as a well-known used bookstore in North Reading shuts its doors and moves to the Immigrant City.
Got Books Inc., whose vans pick up used books throughout the Merrimack Valley, is moving its warehouse and bookstore to South Lawrence, the company announced last month. "Basically, the move is out of necessity," said Michelle Bushee, marketing coordinator for Got Books. "We needed space, and the Lawrence location gives us that."
For years, city officials have been trying to attract a retail bookstore to Lawrence. Currently, the city has a small college bookstore tucked away on the campus of Northern Essex Community College and the tiny Spanish-language bookstore, Nobel, located in North Lawrence.
Nobel provides books to Cambridge College students in Lawrence for their courses. However, the store sometimes can't locate certain textbooks because it doesn't have a relationship with the publishers.
The Northern Essex store sells mainly textbooks, but the school also intends to open a bookstore at its planned Health and Technology Center downtown, according to school officials. The plan calls for a similar retail bookstore as in downtown Lowell.
But for now, the closest retail bookstore for Lawrence residents is Borders, located in a Methuen strip mall. Other than that, residents have just the public library downtown.
That has alarmed Mayor Michael J. Sullivan and schools Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy, who have said that a city the size of Lawrence needs a bookstore so that residents have access to basic literary and educational material. Both said a bookstore is key to the city's economic development.
The city has a population of 72,000 residents, and around 70 percent are Latino.
According to the 2000 Census, nearly 60 percent of Lawrence adults age 25 or older have a high school diploma, and 10 percent have a bachelor's degree. Nationwide, 80 percent of adults 25 or older have a high school diploma, and 24 percent have a bachelor's degree.
With Got Books coming to town, residents will have better access to novels, history and children's books, and will discover "a new world," said Mark Schorr, executive director of the Robert Frost Foundation.
"I think it's great that we're getting a used bookstore," Schorr said. "Used books are every bit as interesting as new books. In fact, used books fit better into your hands."
Schorr said it was "long overdue" that Lawrence finally got an English-language bookstore for residents.
Got Books has been around for eight years and is known in the region for its pick-up vans. The books collected by the vans are either donated to libraries and schools or sold at the store. Got Books also has around 275 drop-off locations in the area.
Bushee said the Lawrence store, at 104 Glenn St., will hold its grand opening July 10 to 12. The store will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The business office has already relocated to the city, she said.
In addition to around 60,000 books, Got Books will sell hundreds of unsorted records. "It'll be like a treasure hunt," said Bushee.
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com. 