Gibson's Re-Opens for Business

Michael Herrmann, the owner of Gibson’s Bookstore, set out to give the people of Concord and the capitol region the best bookstore they could have.

And he appears to have done that.

On Sept. 3, the store held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of its new location, just down the street, at 45 S. Main St. The new store features an expanded children’s book and toy section, curated by Laura Miller, the former owner of Imagination Village, and a new café, which hasn’t opened yet and is a bit behind schedule. Herrmann said there were more books now in stock then he ever imagined, literal rows and rows of titles, as well as a used book section, something the store never had before. 

Herrmann, along with employees at the stores, his new partners, city officials, and others, posed for pictures and later, cut a ribbon welcoming the opening of the store. He thanked everyone – from a bookstore consultant to his wife and kids – for helping the store get to this point. Of his kids, Herrmann said jokingly, “I can only hope they never go into retail … just kidding.” He also noted that he had put together “a great team,” of booksellers, some who are new to the store as well as familiar faces who worked at the previous location. 

Concord Mayor Jim Bouley thanked Herrmann for his “many, many years” downtown and his commitment to Main Street.

“What a great example of the energy this whole South End of Main Street that has really come alive,” Bouley said. “It’s a great example of when businesses downtown start to partner … it’s all kinda coming together. It’s an example of what Concord is really about.”

The store also features expanded hours at its new location: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.