The New England Book Mobile Fair, Newton, Mass. (photo by Eric H.)
Article and Photo by Eric H., VIsitingNewEngland.com
We love Barnes and Noble and Borders, but the primary chapter in our lifelong travel for the best book store in New England is the New England Book Mobile Fair in the Boston suburb of Newton, MA.
The 32,000 sq. ft. oversized warehouse features a seemingly unending supply of books for every age and interest, and with discounts starting at 20 percent. It’s essentially the same store we enjoyed as children in the 1960s and 1970s, with its labyrinth of new and used books (including the latest best-sellers) often stacked to the ceiling in narrow rows.
Growing up in nearby Arlington, our Mom and Dad frequently visited this book lover’s paradise and would spend hours there. We didn’t mind, unlike our objections to shopping the same length of time at Marshall’s, or the out-of-business Carter’s (Needham) or Bargain Basement (Lexington) clothing stores. Owner Louis Strymish, a diminutive man who founded the book store in 1957, walked around the store looking grouchy and giving straightforward orders to his employees with his eyes peering over his glasses perched just above the nose. It turned out Louis’ bark was worse than his bite and we found him to be a kind and knowledgeable teddy bear, of the literate kind. Turns out he was a Harvard-trained chemist whose real passion became selling books! Louis died in 1983, but sons Jon and David took over and the New England Book Mobile Fair continues to thrive as a vibrant, independent book store — rare in a world of literate superstores.
The New England Book Mobile Fair proves that family businesses can survive and please generation to generation in a big box store world. It’s certainly one of the great business stories that would someday make a great book!
New England Book Mobile Fair
82-84 Needham St.
Newton Highlands, MA
Tel. (617) 964-7440
Tags: book store, books, discount books, independent book store, Mass., New England Book Mobile Fair, Newton
