Curiosity Shop
Nancy Dole ’65 keeps Shelburne Falls reading
“You can’t be born or die in Shelburne Falls,” Nancy Dole ’65 likes to say. “You can only visit.” It’s true—Shelburne Falls isn’t a town but a historic village within the towns of Shelburne and Buckland. Dole’s adage is more than a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the peculiarities of historic New England municipalities. It’s also a nod to this tourism hub tucked in the mountains, famous for glacial potholes and the resplendent Bridge of Flowers.
For more than 30 years, Dole’s shop, Nancy L. Dole Books & Ephemera, has been a mainstay in Shelburne Falls for visitors and locals alike. Somewhere between a cozy nook and an exercise in controlled chaos, its alcoves and shelves teeming with worn spines offer a sense of ever-unfolding discoveries. It’s the sort of place where you might squeeze past a fellow shopper to get a better look at an old postcard or bump into someone reaching toward the Emily Dickinson poetry books.
The store has a handful of specialties: “Railroad and regional history are my two big ones,” Dole says. She also maintains significant sections for agriculture and gardening, plus a fair amount of fiction and poetry—especially by authors with a local connection. Dole is easy to talk to; clearly, she delights in chatting with customers all day.
"One thing I love about the book business is you never stop learning"
She’s excited to reminisce about living in Crabtree Hall and hearing fellow UMass alums Taj Mahal ’63 and Buffy Sainte-Marie ’62 making music on the lawn outside the residence hall. At UMass, she studied art and spent lots of time in the Goodell Library, reading periodicals “when I should have been studying.” Today, Dole is still surrounded by words and art, and still curious.
“One thing I love about the book business is you never stop learning, because you learn from your customers,” she says. “I graduated a long time ago, and I don’t know how much longer I can do this, but I have to say, I love coming to the bookstore every single day.”
Visit Nancy L. Dole Books and Ephemera's new location at The Mill at Shelburne Falls, 49 Conway Street, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
