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State Senator Mae Flexer, right, presents a citation to Wolperdinger Bookends founder Dr. Kathy Naumann. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.
Ribbon cut on --- finally --- a LOCAL bookstore
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — There are ribbon cuttings … and then there are ribbon cuttings for a local bookstore where there had been a bookstore desert for years.
Business group officials, town officials, friends, family and even poets were on hand August 16 for the ribbon cutting for the Wolperdinger Bookends bookstore in the Montgomery Ward building.
Elle-Jordyn Sherman, executive director of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, said “We’re so excited to see a bookstore on Main Street again.” State Senator Mae Flexer was on hand to give a legislative citation to founder Dr. Kathy Naumann and to wish the bookstore well. Putnam Business Association President Thomas Borner also welcomed the store and gave Naumann a plaque.
Deputy Mayor Roy Simmons said it’s great to have a bookstore. “We hope you grown, adding more square footage and adding employees.”
Naumann said it’s more than a bookstore: “So, just as carefully as we curate our book collection, so too do we curate our calendar and social opportunities. Wolperdinger Bookends offers story time for children in our Tot Spot, often featuring “celebrity” readers from the community. We have regularly scheduled book discussions in our canopy space. And if you can’t attend in person, no worries because you can engage in the discussion from the comfort of your home by participating through Zoom. Every month, we provide a topic for adolescents to journal about. More than that, we provide journaling supplies and space for them because you never know who or where or what inspires a new writer. We feature local authors in our store and look forward to inviting them in for a reading. And for novices and veterans alike, we are bringing back a pertinent version of the popular poetry slam! And there is more to come…”
A Wolperdinger is a mythical hybrid creature who lives in the Bavarian Forest. In considering a unique yet appropriately descriptive name for a place filled with books, Wolperdinger fit perfectly, she said.
Simmons said “We’re looking forward to having you around for a long time.”
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