Thanking Three Wonderful Friends For Serving Us

Now, more than ever, we need community gathering spots — places where you can sit with friendly people, engage in stimulating conversation, sip coffee and commiserate.

I’m talking about a place where your dog is also welcome; she’ll even get a treat from the barista.

That’s why it was so devastating last September when a message went out to her customers from Linda Mooser, the longtime owner of Hamden’s Books & Company, that she would be closing the store in January.

Mooser explained, with obvious emotion, that she’s now in her mid-70s and has been battling cystic fibrosis for seven years. “I really need to slow down and begin a new chapter, whatever that may be. I’m certain that it’s time — even though it hurts to do so.”

She noted that during the past 30 years Books & Company had grown from being a used books store to a venue for author presentations (she hosted me when I was promoting my book of New Haven Register columns), lectures, classes and artist exhibits. There was also a great selection of jewelry, crafts items by local artists and greeting cards. And then there was that coffee shop within.

It wasn’t easy. Besides putting in all those hours, maintaining the staff and the ongoing challenging finances, Mooser had to contend with the unexpected — like the night in 2008 when an unlicensed teenage driver crashed into the building, nearly destroying it. “Six weeks later,” Mooser recalled, “we reopened with the incredible help we got from you to rebuild. Indeed, it took a village.”

Books & Company has long been the go-to place for me, my wife Jen Kaylin and, over the past two years, our dog Jolene. Yes, we loved browsing for books there. But what made it extra warm and inviting was Legal Grounds, the coffee shop run by the ebullient Teresa Fields. Teresa the barista!

She’s a “dog person.” And so whenever Jolene appeared, Teresa could be counted on to belt out a few lines of Dolly Parton’s song “Jolene” and then offer our dog some canine treats from behind the counter.

Teresa attracted a crew of regulars who sat at the counter or at nearby tables to crack jokes and discuss “the great issues of the day.” Where did we stand on those issues? Teresa’s Trump sticker with a black line through it said all you needed to know.

Charlie Erickson seemed to be there every morning, talking with everybody near his favorite chair. Erickson, a professional photographer, told the New Haven Register: “We need more of this, not less. We don’t have enough places where people connect with their community.”

Usually when we were gathered at the coffee area, store manager Fran Paulman would come back to chat and laugh with us. She, along with Linda and Teresa, were the ones who really kept the place going.

A bookstore also needs dedicated supporting employees and through the years Books & Company has had plenty of them. One in particular, Tamara Cypress, stands out — because in October she stepped up and announced she will open a new version of the store in the adjacent town of North Haven. (The present site is no longer available.)

Of course all of us were heartened to hear there will be a new Books & Company. But we’re worried; the new location, at 83 State Street, is in a car-oriented mini-mall, not in a walkable neighborhood. That was one of the charms of Linda’s place — many people could and did walk there from their houses or apartments. Our second concern is that there won’t be a coffee shop in the new location (not enough space). We will certainly drive out there and buy books, cards and craft items. But without Teresa and her offerings (sorry, Jolene) will it retain that community feel? We will see. Cypress hopes to open by March 1.

Last Friday afternoon Linda hosted a three-hour party, a thank you and farewell. The entire space was jammed with sentimental, grateful customers. A half-dozen guitarists set up in the middle of the room for a singalong. The songs included Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (indeed) and “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (ironic).

Linda stood in the middle of it all, her arm around Teresa, accepting gifts and beaming out at old friends. Fran held back for a bit but then told us how the store survived Covid when it finally reopened during that terrible time. She said she was afraid to work there alone and so asked a friend to “babysit.” Her friend brought a guitar and soon after was joined by other guitarists. They were given this name: Fran’s Anxiety Band.

Now, friends, here we are in another anxious time. Every day, with the awful news out of the White House, it’s clear that indeed the times they are a-changin,’ and not for the better. We need to stick together, to keep on keeping on. That starts with the new Books & Company.