Beekeeper’s Bookshop Opens in Franklinville for Independent Bookstore Day Celebration
Beekeeper’s Bookshop Opens in Franklinville for Independent Bookstore Day Celebration
A new chapter begins as The Beekeeper’s Bookshop opens its doors with a cozy atmosphere, local products, and a passion for community reading.
If you love to read and support small businesses, this Saturday, April 25th is the perfect day to visit the area’s newest bookstore! That’s right, Saturday is the 13th annual Independent Bookstore Day, a national celebration of independently owned bookstores across the country held on the last Saturday of April each year. This year’s celebration coincides with the grand opening of The Beekeeper’s Bookshop, which recently opened at 7376 Route 16 in Franklinville, less than 20 minutes from Ellicottville! Owner Dr. Pauline Hoffmannn, an author and professor in the School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University, welcomes all to her new shop that is now open after two years of planning and preparation!
Although the behind-the-scenes work took some time, the inspiration came rather quickly and in a most surprising setting! Hoffmann was a member of the Zonta Club of Olean, and at a monthly meeting, she and other members were discussing the revitalization of downtown Olean. “We said, ‘Okay, what’s missing?’ Here we were on North Union Street, and someone suggested a wine bar,” Hoffmann recalled. “Of course, we all got excited. Someone had another idea, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, we need a bookstore!’ And then everybody just looked at me and said, ‘Oh, great! So, when are you opening?’ and they had all these questions.”
Hoffmann pointed out that she thought a bookstore was what the area needed, not that she wanted to open one. “I had a glass of wine, and they always have a 50/50 raffle at these meetings,” she said. “I never win anything, ever. So, I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, if I win this 50/50, I’ll open a bookstore.’ And don’t I win the $37! So honestly, that was the start.”
Rather than asking, “How do I get myself out of this?” Hoffmann asked herself a far more powerful question: “Well, why can’t I do this?” With her strong background in marketing, Hoffmann moved forward with her plan by partnering with the Small Business Administration, which operates out of Jamestown Community College. “They were so incredibly helpful, especially with the financial aspect of this,” she recalled. “My husband and I actually owned the house right next to where we live, and it had been vacant, so we just thought, ‘You know what? We’re right on Route 16. It’s very highly traveled. Let’s renovate it. Worst case, it’s a house we can rent or sell…so that’s pretty much what happened.”
Hoffmann said the renovation took some time and money, but everything came together beautifully. “I’m thankful for Community Bank, N.A., right here in Franklinville, for just getting everything together,” Hoffmann noted. “It’s been wonderful. It really is a very welcoming, relaxing space, and that’s what I wanted it to be - where people can come and just browse. They can have a cup of coffee or tea if they want. They can sit by the fireplace.” Soon, Hoffmann will also have a small patio for visitors to sit outside.
TBB carries a wide range of titles, as well as locally-made wares, including Hoffmann’s own honey products (yes, she is the eponymous beekeeper!). She shared, “I have a general fiction section, I have mystery and romance, and I have sci-fi/fantasy/horror, because I know that’s incredibly popular. I have a pretty large non-fiction section that has biography, history, social science, and so on.” TBB has a large children’s section as well, with a cozy nook under the stairs where young readers can sit and read. Locally-made products include tea blends, fabric book sleeves, and cutting/charcuterie boards made by Hoffmann’s brother, whose company, Ev’s Woodworking, was instrumental in the renovation of the store and built all of the shelving. Additionally, TBB sells games and puzzles and promotes the exchange of gently-used puzzles. Used books in good condition may also be brought to TBB for store credit. To learn more about TBB’s offerings and store policies, visit www.thebeekeepersbookshop.com.
There are definitely ways to support TBB, even if you can’t make it to the physical store! TBB has an online store through Bookshop.org and sells audio books through Libro.fm. Stop in this weekend for the grand opening, when TBB will be open from 11:00am-6:00pm both Saturday and Sunday, and enjoy several Grand Opening and Indie Bookstore Day specials. Effective Wednesday, April 29th, TBB is open from noon-6:00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:00am-6:00pm on Friday and Saturdays, and noon-5:00npm on Sundays. For more information, visit www.thebeekeepersbookshop.com or contact the store at 716-289-6170 or info@datadoyenne.com. Be sure to follow TBB on social media for more photos and updates!