Come as strangers,

Back in the year 2018 a new business arrived in the Manchester community with one simple vision.

Every community deserves places where people can gather. Where curiosity, conversation, and connection are encouraged. Where you can lose track of time and enjoy The Bookery’s community living room.

Liz Hitchcock brought the entrepreneurial optimism and knowledge that Manchester deserved.

With books at the center she brought this vision to life. From the welcoming couch gathered around the fireplace, to the reading tree tucked into the children’s room, as well as the whimsical flying books overhead. Every detail was intended to create a sense of comfort, delight, and wonder.

Liz Cipriano brought her love of independent bookstores to those early years, helping shape the collection.

Together, those ideas formed the foundation of The Bookery. 

Then came COVID.

This difficult chapter only reinforced why places like The Bookery matter.

As the store evolved, Cassie Doran took the original vision and made it event stronger by listened to the community's needs, and expanded it. Cassie helped establish The Bookery as one of New Hampshire's enduring independent bookstores. At the same time, she ensured that it remained much more than a store. It flourished into a place for conversations and clubs, author talks, community gatherings, a platform for local artists, and the countless small interactions that continue to transform neighbors into friends.

Somewhere along the way, The Bookery stopped belonging to any one of us.

It belongs to Manchester.

The real story of The Bookery is, and always has been, the community that gathers inside it.