Greenport Village residents who’ve been worried that they’d lose a local treasure after the owner of Burton’s Bookstore announced in March that he was looking to retire can breathe a sigh of relief — a new owner is setting up shop.
Scott Raulsome, 39, whose parents live in Aquebogue, said he and former owner George Maaiki closed on the deal on Monday — and he hopes to be open by Thursday.
“Right now, I’m just trying to clean, reorganize, give the store a full makeover and a facelift,” Raulsome said. “The goal is to modernize it a little bit, add a new floor.”
Raulsome said he wants to assure those who’ve been coming to Burton’s for decades that the shop, “will remain a bookstore — one hundred percent,” he said.
But what Raulsome hopes to do is bring his own vision to the business, hosting programs, events, author book signing and activities for children. “Anything that I can do, I’m willing to try,” he said.
Raulsome said he’d like to be fully operational by the coming holiday weekend.
When his parents first moved to Aquebogue, Raulsome, who grew up in Nassau County , said he began exploring Greenport.
After working at Hofstra University for nine years in administration, Raulsome, who attended Providence College and later, Hofstra for his Master’s degree, said he’d read an article about Maaiki looking to sell his shop and had an a-ha moment.
“I called him, and kept meeting with him, and then, I just quit my job and moved,” he said.
Raulsome, who is single, said, “This is the perfect time for me to do this.”
His vision for the bookstore, he said, is clear. “I want to keep the small-town charm, but also, make it unique.” Ideas include handmade nameplates and shelving different than what a customer would see elsewhere.
The seeds for Raulsome’s deep love for books were planted when he worked in a bookstore while living in Lake Tahoe. “I was always a pretty big reader, but then, I graduated college and that summer, I read ‘War and Peace’. That was it. It took off, and from then on, I read everything I could find.”
Raulsome has purchased the contents of the store and will keep the name, but rent the building from Maiiki, who announced in March that after 26 years in business, he was ready to write the final chapter as he prepared to retire.
Maaiki, who bought the store, a beloved village institution, from its original owner, Joyce Burton, on Sept.1, 1988, announced that he was looking to find a new owner who would keep the bookstore operational in Greenport.
Maaiki said the decision wasn’t an easy one. “It took me three days to put the signs in the window,” he said. “It’s hard. It’s a quarter of a century.”
At 52, Maaiki said it was time for him to move on to the next page of his personal journey. But his hope has been realized; he’d wanted to rent the store to someone who shares his passion for literature, and who would keep the bookstore alive and well at 43 Front Street.
“I think it needs new blood,” Maaiki said. “When I came in, I was young, in my 20s. I brought new ideas. I’m 52; I’m done. Now it’s a new generation. We need someone young to come in.”
The hope, he said, was that the new proprietor can integrate today’s technology, including Kindles and other electronic devices, while still staying true to the customers who love the feeling of an actual book in their hands.
Rena Casey-Wilhelm, who owns the shop next door, The White Weathered Barn, with her husband Jason said she was thrilled with the news. “We have already befriended new owner Scott Raulsome and are excited to him breathe new life into the local bookstore. We worked with our landlord in hopes of finding a candidate that would have a love for books. One that understood the importance of keeping this gem in a small quaint village. George has owned the bookstore for over a quarter of a century and the same red rug that covered the floors when he bought the building is still there. We all can’t wait to tear it out — one of the first things on Scott’s list. I know this is Scott’s dream. He is full of ideas and I am confident the village will be very supportive of this transition.”
As for Maaiki, he’s has plans for retirement. Fluent in Arabic, French and English, Maaiki said he might pursue work in translation, or in a field related to his political science degree.
“I want to go out in the world,” he said. “I want to have a summer.” Living on the beautiful North Fork, he said, “In 25 years, I don’t know what the Fourth of July is. I work very hard in the summer.” And during the winter months, when he does have free time, his wife is busy working — a fellow bibliophile, she’s the head of young adult services at the Mattituck-Laurel Library — and his daughter Sara, 21, is at school.
Maaiki said both he and his wife love to travel and future trips could be on the agenda, when he has much-anticipated free time.
Looking back, Maaiki said the most rewarding part of his experience at the bookstore has been the customers.
Repeat clients, he said, have shared with him the stories of their lives. “I’ve had so many clients that I’ve known for 25 years, and sometimes, they pass away,” he said.
Others consider his bookstore a piece of their personal history. “Working behind the counter, I meet so many people. It’s going to be hard, the day I sign that contract.”
Greenport, he said, has seen tremendous rebirth since he first hung up his proverbial hat on Front Street, with the business a great opportunity for a new owner to make their mark. And although he will be handing over the keys to the store, Maaiki said he will stay on to help the new owner during the transition — and assures that he has no plans to leave the North Fork.
“I’m not going to go anywhere,” he said. “This is home.”
