Carolyn Brody has purchased BookHampton, the popular independent bookstore on Main Street in East Hampton, from its previous owner Charline Spektor.
“BookHampton is a treasure trove, a rich environment for all the arts,” said Ms. Brody. “I am thrilled to continue the wonderful legacy of this important bookstore and will be an active, hands-on owner. Independent bookstores are enjoying a resurgence and I want to contribute to that. As Ann Patchett said, ‘bookstores are back.’ And I couldn’t ask for a more responsive audience and community.”
“We plan to close for a short while for renovations and host a grand reopening for the season,” added Ms. Brody.
A longtime East Hampton resident, Ms. Brody is a civic leader, lifelong advocate for the arts and the environment, and Chairman Emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is past chair of the National Building Museum, and was appointed by President Clinton to the Commission on Fine Arts. She has been a real estate consultant to the World Bank, a real estate investment banker at First Boston Corporation, and an economic development consultant to a large New England bank, among other professional roles.
BookHampton opened on Newtown Lane in 1971 and was owned by George Caldwell and Jorge Costello (known locally as the “two Georges”). It moved to 20 Main Street and in 1999 was sold to Hal Zwick, who owned it briefly before it was bought in 2000 by Ms. Spektor and her late husband, Jeremy Nussbaum. In 2006, BookHampton relocated to its current address at 41 Main Street.
