NORWAY — After 12 years of owning and operating Books N Things on Main Street, Erica Jed is handing the reins over to Adrienne Cote of Paris.
The store will close Saturday and Cote will take over Feb. 1, Jed said.
The public is invited to a celebration from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the bookstore, where snacks and beverages will be served.
“When I bought the bookstore, I always had a 10-year plan,” Jed said. “It’s been 12, and I’m still here, so it’s overdue.”
Jed purchased the bookstore when it was at the Oxford Plaza on Route 26 in Oxford. She moved to 430 Main St. in Norway soon after. Since then she’s added Stonewall Kitchen Products, Melissa & Doug toys, newspapers and greeting cards to the inventory.
She said she didn’t want to sell the business until someone bought the building.
“I found someone to buy the building, but they weren’t interested in the business,” she said. “Once the building sold, though, Adrienne said she was interested.”
Cote said she’s been around Oxford Hills for 20 years and lived in Paris for the past three.
She spent 35 years as a merchandising executive in the apparel and gift industry working for catalog companies, she said. The past couple of years she’s been doing consulting.
“I’m really excited,” Cote said. “I really appreciate and respect what Erica has done. I’m excited to pick up the torch and carry it on. It won’t be a lot different than Books N Things but the name will be changed.”
The bookstore will be named The Tribune Books and Gifts.
Cote said the new owner is Granite Ridge Estate and Barn, a wedding venue in North Norway. The owner will renovate the bookstore during February and the bookstore will reopen March 3, she said.
Jed said she’ll still be available after Feb. 1 to answer questions and help out.
“I really want this to go well, so I’ll help however I can,” she said.
Staff Editor Mary Delamater added to this story.
Erica Jed has sold Books N Things on Main Street in Norway to Adrienne Cote of Oxford Hills. The business will close Saturday and Cote will assume ownership Feb. 1, closing the store for a month for renovations, Jed said. (Sun Journal file photo)
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