BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Village Square Booksellers, a strong pillar of the downtown Bellows Falls business community for many years located at 32 The Square, has changed hands as the owners, Pat and Alan Fowler, have sold the business to their longtime employee and Bellows Falls resident Myles Mickle. Mickle, a 2005 Bellows Falls Union High School graduate, has worked for the Fowlers since 2016.
Owning the popular bookstore since 2000, the Fowlers decided to retire approximately eight months ago in order to do some traveling, and also concentrate on their local volunteer work, but the plan of having Mickle as their successor had long been in place.
“We set it up from the beginning, when I was first hired by Pat and Alan,” Mickle said in a recent in-store interview. “We made an agreement that I would have the opportunity to take over the business whenever the time came when they would be ready to retire. It’s all happened very quickly, but it’s been a smooth transition.”
After having worked together for more than seven years, Miles also talked about how the Fowlers have been wonderful business mentors, and having learned a lot about the book business from them. “They have taught me the ropes about running a successful bookstore, and they are still being very helpful with a lot of things,” he said.
“They are also willing to help me moving forward, offering to work in the store, or anything else that may be needed. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. The Fowlers have given a great deal to the community as well, and I am excited to carry on with what they have built here at the store.”
Moving forward, Miles, who will also employ two additional staff members, has plans to expand upon the store’s current toy department. He is renovating the downstairs space, which is currently used for storage, to expand the toy department, as well as creating an event space that can be used for any number of events such as author events, book and poetry readings, and various group gatherings.
“We have plans to expand upon our toy department to also include items for older children, and we will have more space to offer interactive tables so everyone can take a closer look at the toys. It will be a wide open and user-friendly atmosphere.”
Additionally, Village Square Booksellers offers more than books and toys, and, in fact, unique greeting cards are a significant part of their business. They also offer a variety of other creative items, such as stationery and calendars, candles and menorahs, local history books and local authors, puzzles and games, novelties, socks, hats, mugs, and more.
Village Square Booksellers is open Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Their phone number is 802-463-9404. Please visit their website at www.villagesquarebooks.com.