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Terry Lucas
The Open Book in Westhampton Beach has reached its final chapter.
Terry Lucas, the owner of the beloved independent bookstore on Glovers Lane, announced on Saturday that she will be closing her shop’s doors by the end of the year.
“Sadly, the difficult economy, the rise of the popularity of ebooks and the arrival of another bookstore down the block have combined to form a set of circumstances that will result in the closing of The Open Book by the end of the year,” she said. “We have tried everything to stay open, but it is not financially feasible to keep going.”
As rumors began to spread in the village on Saturday, longtime customers poured into The Open Book, some with tears in their eyes.
Westhampton Beach resident Rosana Butler said she was heartbroken to hear the news. “I feel very sad,” she said. “We’re losing a place ... where you can come and see a smiling face—we’re losing a friend.”
The battle to stay afloat was a long one for Ms. Lucas, who moved her business twice since buying the bookstore—but not the buildings where it has operated from—almost 13 years ago.
Books & Books, the other bookstore in Westhampton Beach, opened on Main Street on July 1, 2010—ironically, in the same storefront that Ms. Lucas’s shop was originally located when it first opened. Upon hearing that Ms. Lucas would be closing soon, Jack McKeown, who co-owns Books & Books with partner Denise Berthiaume, said: “It’s regrettable to see any independent bookseller close.”
Ms. Lucas, 54, was born in Auburn, California, and earned her undergraduate degree in sociology and history before graduating from Boston University’s School of Law in 1989. She worked at a New York law firm that had offices in the World Trade Center for four years before she and her husband, Frank, had their first child, Rachel, now 19. Their younger daughter, Sara, is now 15.
Ms. Lucas said she realized in 1993—after she and her family moved to Westhampton Beach from Manhattan—that she no longer wanted to be an attorney. At the time, she was working for Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo LLP in Riverhead. “I came to the realization that I loved research and writing, but I did not love the arguing that goes with being a lawyer,” she said.
She gave notice on a Wednesday; the very next day, Ms. Lucas learned that a bookstore on Main Street in Westhampton Beach—The Book Mark, which was owned by Mimi Calkin—was closing.
“I decided that I was going to open a bookstore,” Ms. Lucas said, matter of factly.
She explained that books have always been her passion: “I was the kid that did not hear her mother call her for dinner because I was so immersed in a book,” she said. “Books still take me traveling to different places and times.”
At her shop, Ms. Lucas created a haven for children, organizing story time and Harry Potter parties, visits with the Easter Bunny, and holiday caroling events, for which she dressed up as Mrs. Claus and an eager group of kids followed in Pied Piper fashion as her elves. She participated in book fairs at local schools and houses of worship, and organized book signings, including one this summer that featured author Jodi Picoult. Ms. Lucas also made a point of hiring young adults from the area, creating lasting bonds.
“The Open Book is where I acquired my love for reading,” said Westhampton Beach resident Bret Tucker, now a freshman at the City University of New York, and the son of Westhampton Beach Village Trustee Hank Tucker. “It was more than a bookstore—it was a second home for me, where I spent countless days with my second family. The Open Book will always be my place.”
Inside her shop, Ms. Lucas has a large box, called “Bookstore Memories,” that is filled with photographs of local children at various events, She is inviting customers to write their own memories in a large journal before she closes for good at the end of December.
“Probably the best memories are of little kids who love the bookstore,” Ms. Lucas said. “When the last Harry Potter books came out, kids would grab their copies and hug them.”
Ms. Lucas and students rallied against censorship in 2007 after the parents of students attending the Westhampton Beach High School decided that two books, “The Tenth Circle” by Ms. Picoult and “Cradle and All” by James Patterson, contained inappropriate material and should be removed from the ninth grade independent reading list. Ms. Lucas organized a “read-in” of censored works by students at her shop. “As a bookseller and a librarian, the freedom to read is very important to me,” she explained.
Looking back on her time spent at her shop, Ms. Lucas said The Open Book was more than just a business.
“The store is the place where my children grew up, where the employees worked on school projects and rehearsed plays,” she said. “Movies were filmed, songs were song, books were read aloud, customers shared favorites, a few romances bloomed, and, throughout it all, I sat back and smiled about this amazing little world that had grown up around a few books.”
Remsenburg resident Mitchell Angel said he was saddened to hear the news, but not shocked by it, considering the difficult times that other bookstores have been enduring. Earlier this year, Borders Group, the Michigan-based chain that operated bookstores under the Borders and Waldenbooks names, filed for bankruptcy and this summer began liquidating its nearly 400 stores. The Borders in Riverhead closed its doors for good last week.
“Terry is my hero,” Mr. Angel said. “She fought a noble fight.”
Jessica Howard, a 10-year employee of the store, said she feels, as so many do, possessive of the shop. “This is everyone’s store,” she said. “It’s really hard to let go of it.”
Westhampton Beach resident Estelle Lubliner described The Open Book as a charming and quaint “one-on-one” shop. “You don’t see that kind of bookstore anymore. She knew her books and she knew her community.”
Looking forward, Ms. Lucas plans to continue to work at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton Village, where she is employed as a reference librarian. Struggling not to cry, Ms. Lucas said she is trying to remain positive. “I’m trying to focus on the good,” she said. “I met so many amazing people and had so much fun.”
She added that if The Open Book were a novel, its last line would be: “The very best stories live on in your hearts long after you have turned the last pages.”
