Blue Hill Books thrives under the ownership Samantha Haskell '10.Blue Hill Books thrives under the ownership Samantha Haskell '10. Credit: Courtesy of Blue Hill Books

Here are two words we don’t often hear in the same sentence anymore: “bookstore” and “thriving.”

All across North America, independent booksellers are struggling to survive in the age of screens and Amazon to make a living in what has always been a tough business.

Along the picturesque southern coast of Maine, local bookstores have been closing in disheartening numbers. But in the small town of Blue Hill, there’s good news.

The bookstore there is indeed thriving, thanks in part to an inventive business model with surprising roots. 

Ira Basen was in Maine this past summer. Here’s his documentary, “Our Bookstore, Our Shelves.”  

Listen here…