Serendipity Bookshop, located at 1 Main St. in Taunton, Mass., hosted its grand opening last week and will have an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 25 with the Taunton Chamber of Commerce.
Owner Donna Melchionno told the Taunton Daily Gazette that her goal is to create a community space where people can relax and enjoy books: "A bookstore is more than just books. For me, it's a place for community, and I wanted that space."
Noting that since opening, she has been "busy all day," Melchionno added that the cozy atmosphere of the store is meant to be welcoming, a place where you can "walk in, sit down, take a breath.... Having a place where you can come in, look at the books, instead of ordering online, that makes it an experience. I think people were missing that. There's a new generation coming up of people saying, 'Let's come back to this.' "
Melchionno started looking for a space to open a bookshop last summer, and eventually Taunton's Office of Economic and Community Development introduced her to the Main St. location. "It was banged up inside, but I immediately saw its potential," she said.
After signing the lease in January, she spent the last three months building out and renovating the space. Previously, she had set up a vendor space in the Trescott Street Gallery. In Serendipity Bookshop's new location, she has initially focused on the most popular genres and bestsellers, as well as book titles recommended by friends and family
Now that the store is open, "people are letting me know what they want to read," she said, and she has been putting in large orders to expand inventory and genres. Serendipity also sells crystals, pens, mugs, reusable cloth bags, and store-branded shirts and sweatshirts. Melchionno ultimately wants the bookshop also to be a place to hold a variety of events, and already has several book signings scheduled with local authors.