A bookstore to take over space in Odd Fellows building in Portland
Courtesy / Back Cove Books
Back Cove Books will make its home in the Odd Fellows building in Portland's Woodfords Corner.
Becca Morton’s dream of opening a locally owned, community bookstore began about seven years ago and will come to fruition this fall with the planned opening of Back Cove Books.
“This is the idea where I told my husband not to let me talk myself out of it. I’ve had other ideas before that didn’t make sense. But this makes sense to me,” Morton said.
Back Cove Books will be located in 2,200 square feet on the first floor of 651 Forest Ave., also known as the Odd Fellows building in Woodfords Corner in Portland.
The store leased the space from Fraternity Lodge No. 6 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Tom Moulton and Katie Allen from the Dunham Group brokered the lease.
The space previously housed a pawn shop and at one time a bank, Morton said. She’s still deciding which section of books to place in the former bank vault.
“There’s lots of nooks and crannies in there for people to come in and stay with us for a while. We don’t want people to come, buy their books and leave. We’re hoping they stay, make it part of their day, bring their coffee and talk to us about books,” Morton said. “We’re hoping it becomes the 'third place' behind home and work where you can feel comfortable.”
Morton expects the local community to be the main customer pool, but Back Cove Books will also have an online presence, as well.
“Portland is the type of community that wants to be out in restaurants and sidewalk cafes and be part of the city. There’s people who are falling out of love with Amazon. I don’t worry about the viability of a bookstore here,” Morton said.
Morton cited the recent influx of businesses such as Coveside Coffee, and work done by a community group called the Friends of Woodfords Corner, which has worked with state and city officials to increase pedestrian access with an improved intersection and better sidewalks to encourage the neighborhood’s walkability.
Back Cove Books will be doing a pop-up event at Coveside Coffee from May 4-15.
While Back Cove Books will start out as a general interest bookstore, Morton plans to edit the store’s book collection based on the shopping patterns, interests and requests from customers.
“We can edit our stock to tailor it to what the community wants,” Morton said. “We’re hoping to have a diverse selection in topics, characters, authors and storylines that are reflective of the community, or provide the opportunity to read something that is the exact opposite of you.”
To test out her bookstore dream, Morton spent about two years working at an independent bookstore called Print in Portland’s East End.
“That made me fall in love with the world of bookstores even more,” Morton said.
Morton’s also thrilled to be part of the Odd Fellows building, which was designed by Francis Fassett and built in 1897. The building has served as the Odd Fellows hall, a Masonic Temple, Deering's City Hall, a school for neighborhood students, and a host of commercial tenants.
The organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, started with the mission to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.” The nonprofit now claims to be one of the oldest and largest fraternities in the world and focuses on bettering the community and environment.
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