Since Liz Cipriano and Liz Hitchcock opened Bookery in Manchester, N.H., last spring, it "has quickly become the community gathering space the duo envisioned, hosting not only authors for book signings, but musicians, politicians and community events," Business NH magazine reported.
"There's this new generation looking to interact in a different way and interact with the community," Cipriano said.
"We have surprise and delight around each corner. We want people to wander with their minds and their eyes," Hitchcock noted, adding that the store has hit its projected numbers in the first few months of operation, but what she really finds rewarding is seeing the reactions of people the first time they walk in. "You hear an audible wow, and they smile and you see them pointing."
Bookery "is just one idea Hitchcock and her husband have developed as part of a larger community-building project they envision," Business NH wrote. "They have a Twitter campaign to solicit ideas for businesses that people would like to launch downtown with the hashtag #crazymhtidea that they may help fund."
"We believe so much in this community-building project. We have a lot of ideas. We want other people's crazy ideas," Hitchcock said. "We love Manchester and its trajectory. Maybe we can accelerate it."