A little village in upstate New York that’s a literary gem
Hobart, a small village in upstate New York, transformed into a vibrant book village, offering a charming literary escape in the Catskills.
The Great Western Catskills are an outdoor adventure destination but nestled in the northern mountains is a small village that invites you to forget the outside world, to linger, browse, and lose yourself in the pages of a book.
Hobart, a village in upstate New York, makes for a charming literary getaway when overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps.
The small settlement, with a population of barely 450, was established by settlers of European descent around 1784, in the aftermath of the American Revolution. They moved to the village, used till then by indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands as hunting grounds, and built inns, mills, and farms.
Located 160 miles from New York city, Hobart’s population grew through the 1800s and by the end of the century, its mainstay was agriculture. But the second half of the 20th century brought a decline in population – and business.
Hobart was a ghost town when Don Dales, a retired furniture restorer, moved there in 1999. The slump continued and most buildings on Main Street fell vacant by the early 2000s.
Keen to revive the town’s economy, Dales began to invest in real estate and bought numerous empty storefronts. “More and more people offered me their buildings at really good prices and terms as they were sitting empty for so very long. I then offered a year’s free rent for a decent business plan but the takers were few,” Dales says.
In 2001, Diana Adams and her husband, William, a couple on vacation, were astonished by the abysmally low rents and rented a building for a future book business. They opened Hobart’s first book store, William H Adams’ Antiquarian Books (for books printed before 1850) in June 2002.
“Bill and Diana rented a storefront that I didn’t own. I was astonished that in this poor area, they were opening a bookstore, one that was so niche. An antiquarian bookstore in a ghost village! But we went on to become good friends,” he says.
A couple of years later, Dales heard about Hay-on-Wye, a tiny book town in Powys, Wales, and its lineup of bookshops (39 at last count). “I had never heard of something like that before,” he says.
The entrepreneur decided to emulate the Hay-on-Wye model and transform Hobart into a book village. He opened two bookshops – Hobart Book Mart and Library Store – on Main Street in 2005. “We had three book shops and we started to call ourselves a book village,” Dales says.
There was no looking back.
Today, “the book village of the Catskills”, surrounded by red barns and pasturing animals, and nestled between green hills and the Delaware River, has seven independent bookshops. The two-block main street, which runs parallel to the former railway line turned into the meandering Catskills Scenic Trail, houses art galleries, antique shops and vintage clothing and home décor stores. Many established booksellers have set up shop within a 50-mile radius, making Hobart Book Village a must-visit for booklovers.
The two book stores opened by Dales initially have closed, but they have been followed by eclectic bookshops that house books of varied genres.
“We wanted to be a village of books, none of them competing with each other, each with its own interest and inventory, and we decided to go for it,” Dales says.
William H Adams’ Antiquarian Books has stood its ground, and offers three floors of books. Not all are antiquarian, but many were printed prior to 1850. The categories include the Middle Ages, Renaissance, art, architecture, biography, religion, poetry, and literature; rare and signed editions are also available.
Not too far is Liberty Rock Books, the largest of the seven stores that offers staggeringly deep shelves stacked with books. Owned by John and Jim Mahoney and Tom Liotta, it houses about 50,000 books that range from pop culture and history to fiction and children. Don’t miss the vintage postcards and well-maintained records and CDs.
DIY lovers enjoy browsing in Creative Corner Books, a bright and cosy store with an eclectic collection of craft and hobby books. Whether you are interested in needlepoint, quilting, paper crafts, woodworking, gardening, jewellery, mosaics, or other DIY projects, you’re sure to find inspiration here. The collection of cookbooks is huge, and includes new, used, and vintage editions.
Don’t miss browsing the stack of books in the other stores: New York Books & Ephemera specialises in all things New York; LionEyesBooks caters to art lovers; Blenheim Hill Books is ideal for lovers of fiction, history, and architecture; More Good Books is focused on transportation, hobbies, and sports; and the Book Nook is a lending library for children.
Last but definitely not the least, located in a red building near the Historic Hobart Inn and formerly known as Mysteries & More, is a book store owned by Dales, the man credited with setting up and getting Hobart Book Village “up and running”.
Quarry Books brings back memories of Hay-on-Wye. The unstaffed shop relies on you, and your honour, to receive payments – in cash, cheque, or credit card – much like the Honesty Bookshop in Hay Castle, a 17th-century fortification in Powys, Wales. With no till and no employees, it’s up to you to ensure that you make the payment before heading out with your selection.
I take a break at Hobart Coffee Pot, a retro country diner and the place to go for breakfast or lunch. The walls are enveloped in vintage signs and posters; there are a couple of knickknacks in the restroom as well. The coffee is hot and strong, with as much character as the diner, and it’s impossible not to feel cheerful as the server brings me French toast and pancakes.
“Hobart is now a centre for arts, culture, and literature. We have several art shows, author readings and signings, and a very popular Winter Respite Lecture Series, a monthly event with authors, historians, and famous personalities to keep away the winter blues,” says Penny Griffith, a book lover, as she pours me a coffee refill.
Thanksgiving Day and Memorial Day bring two massive semi-annual sales, which draw hundreds of locals, travellers, collectors, and book lovers keen to get their hands on unusual or much-loved books.
Located next to the Historical Hobart Inn, the Mount Utsayantha Regional Arts League (MURAL) was founded in 1983 to promote arts in the Greater Stamford Area. Since the time it hosted its first exhibition of the paintings of Lamont Warner, MURAL has promoted and sold the work of regional artists.
However, the most important literary event in the book village is the annual Festival of Women Writers. From June 7-9, 2024, Hobart hosted the 11th edition of the festival. This year’s participants included Nancy Agabian, the author of The Fear of Large and Small Nations, Breena Clarke, the author of four novels, including Alive Nearby, Jewelle Gomez, a novelist, poet and playwright known for Gilda Stories, the first Black Lesbian vampire novel, and Lynne Elizabeth, founding director of New Village Press, an indie publisher of progressive books.
Picking at the fries during a meal at Bull & Garland, a pub known for its craft beers, creative cocktails, and locally sourced produce, I think about the story of Hobart. Dales may credit “luck and craziness of some sorts” for the revival of this former ghost town, but there’s more to it. I always knew that books can transform lives; now I also know that books can breathe life into a dying, down-on-its-luck Catskills village.
Teja Lele is an independent editor and writes on books, travel and lifestyle.
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