Phoenix Books Misty Valley in Chester, Vt., is seeking a new owner after a controversial series of events prompted the bookshop's temporary closure November 7. The Chester Telegraph reported that Phoenix Books, which operates bookstores in Essex, Burlington and Rutland, as well as a partnership with the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, had been in negotiations with Andover resident Amanda Bourque "to purchase the bookstore while leasing the building from Phoenix Books, which itself purchased the store and buildings 2 1/2 years ago."
When those negotiations came to a halt earlier this month, Bourque, who had worked at Misty Valley for 15 years, left her position, as did the three other Misty Valley employees, a situation that Phoenix co-owner Michael DeSanto described to the Telegraph as a "surprise."
In a press release, he then announced that "it is with a heavy heart we have no other choice than to close our Chester location.... We appreciate the many friends and loyal customers we have made during our time in Chester. We are hopeful that a new party will come forward to take the reins and continue to serve the community with a bookstore. Please direct any questions and inquiries to Mike DeSanto at michael@phoenixbooks.biz."
Earlier this week, DeSanto published an open letter to the community offering further clarification: "We have enjoyed being part of the Chester community and have strived during this period to create and maintain a welcoming and viable store. It is with sadness that we have come to realize that without a local management presence in the community, Misty Valley is not financially sustainable for Phoenix Books.... We are now actively seeking another buyer, and during the process will transfer staff from another location to keep Misty Valley open, with limited hours, through the end of the year.
"Although we can envision several workable options for a successful store, we suspect that the best fit would be an on-site owner who lives in the building and operates the store. It is our belief that a bookstore can be successful in Chester, especially with the care and commitment of a resident owner and manager.
"To our customers and friends in the Chester community, we sincerely apologize that we are not able to continue to support the store. Selling the store is wrenching, and certainly not anything we had envisioned two years ago. We remain staunch supporters of independent bookstores and would like nothing better than to see a suitable party step forward to take the reins of a front-list bookstore in Chester. As of this writing, I have received inquiries from several interested parties.
"As the owner of Phoenix Books, I want to add that I am sorry over the way I handled the closure last week. It was truly a shock to me when the existing staff left and we could not immediately provide staff from other stores. As a result of this, I closed the store and did not consider the effects on the town of Chester."