Boswell’s Books, of 10 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, will be moving and consolidating with its other location, Roundabout Books, 85 Pierce Street, Greenfield, on March 29th. Raymond Neal and the staff of both stores invite everyone to a Boswell’s reception at Roundabout Books on Saturday, April 4th at 1pm, with complimentary tea and baked goods from Rise Above Bakery.
On Friday, March 13th, Boswell’s owner Raymond Neal was informed that the building which has been home to the shop for many years had come under new ownership. The new owner of 10 Bridge Street plans to renovate and repurpose the main-level space that Boswell’s occupies, beginning sometime in April.
Boswell’s was offered the basement location at this address, however, it would be a difficult space for a bookstore to operate. In the future, if the right location for Boswell’s Books becomes available, Raymond Neal will consider reinstating Boswell’s in Shelburne Falls. He states, “It has been a pleasure to serve Shelburne Falls for four years. It is a great place to be and an eager community for literature. We are now practiced at operating and staffing two stores, something that I never imagined before Ken and Nancy Eisenstein approached me about Boswell’s in 2021.” All staff will be maintained at Roundabout Books, and no one will be losing their position.
Raymond Neal of Roundabout Books took ownership of Boswell’s in 2021, when the previous owners, Ken and Nancy Eisenstein retired. The shop originally opened in Buckland before settling into its longtime location on Bridge Street.
Raymond writes, “I feel strongly how much I will miss what we’ve built at Boswell’s. Many of you have seen me late at night delivering books to Bozzy’s. Especially in this last year, when our booksellers have continued to refine our shop, I have often stopped in the middle of my hauling and looked through the dim shop. I felt: this is exactly where I wanted to be. Boswell’s is a jewel. It is a very special place, made more so, since we were carrying on a project that started in the 1990s with prior owners. We put our heart in it. In our tenure with the shop, I can clearly recall the work of moving the beautiful new shelves we bought from the estate Waiting for Godot Books, which Nancy Dole called me to tell us about. My mom gave us her collection of paintings to hang and her two antique library tables, which were small enough to fit in narrow spaces, to hold our new arrivals. Our booksellers, Hallie and Emma, have been wonderful, and had a true vision of a world-class collection of books. From the beginning, they cataloged books for both stores and we agreed they would get the first pick of the very best used books we had. It showed; I sometimes envied our own books! This year, Boswell’s Books was exactly what I had hoped for and knew it could be.”
“Sweet Boswell herself, our beloved bookstore cat, who is now 17 years old, will be adopted to a loving family. We have had a lot of interest from our customers and friends wanting to share their home with her in her senior years. I couldn’t have hoped for a sweeter, more gentle bookstore cat than Boswell.
“I feel deeply grateful for your support of our independent bookshop. In 2026, I am mindful of just how meaningful it is to have been able to thrive in a small New England village. I want to invite you to visit us at Roundabout, too, as many of you do already. You will find all the love of books and genuine welcome you have come to expect from us. From me personally, thank you for letting me live this literary life. I feel and appreciate your choice to shop with us.
“As you might expect, this month our attention will be on the logistics of moving our collection of 10,000 books that currently proudly occupy 10 Bridge Street. We’ll have a Boswell’s reception at Roundabout Books on Saturday, April 4th, with complimentary tea and baked goods from our friends at Rise Above Bakery. Come over if your time allows and you’ll be warmly received.”
