The Green Hand Bookshop
For 16 years Green Hand has provided readers with a wide array of books that range from works by local authors (many of whom are MWPA members themselves), to pulp paperbacks, sci-fi and horror staples, to a curated selection of newer titles. There is truly something for everyone at Green Hand. If you're not quite sure what it is you're looking for, Green Hand's proprietor, Michelle Souliere, is happy to recommend a book or two.
If you've ever found yourself in the West End of Portland, then you're probably familiar with the green, spray-painted scaffolding that can be found along Congress Street, right before Joe's Variety. For the past three years it has obscured small businesses and deterred crowds from entering them, forcing some to close their doors for good. Others, such as Green Hand Books, have persevered, but it hasn't been easy.
While talking to Michelle about her frustrations and concerns as a small business owner who has been contending with the scaffolding in front of Green Hand for three years, she expressed hope that the greater Portland community will continue to shop local, support the businesses that they hold dear, and keep an eye out for their neighbors. While online shopping is only a click away, the internet can't provide the organic experience you'll have while browsing the shelves of a bookstore.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle about her career as a bookseller and The Green Hand. You can read more about her and her bookstore below!
1. What's the weirdest book currently on your shelves or that you've sold lately?
That is a really good question. I have had some really fun zines come through in recent years, including old homegrown UFO publications from out West, and old Dark Shadows fanzines. With the explosion of awareness about local zines, like Dirt, it's been fun to see how things have changed over the decades.
2. What made you want to be a bookseller?
I started out by bookscouting - finding books that I could sell to local booksellers in order to support my own bibliomania. It turned out I had good instincts, and good research skills, and it was undeniable that I was a book magnet.
Eventually I managed to get a job at the Portland Public Library, which only reinforced my understanding that I was happier when I was surrounded by books. While I was working there, I started reading books written by people who had started bookstores themselves, to learn more about the challenges involved. When the economy tanked in 2009, after a brief and happy year working at USM, I found myself jobless after budget cuts, and at a stopping point where I had little to lose and everything to gain by setting out to forge my way independently.
Nancy Grayson, who ran Cunningham Books in Longfellow Square for decades, was my friend and mentor. She set a wonderful example, but also made sure I knew that to run a bookshop takes a tremendous amount of work and focus. And that it is crazy to open a bookstore. If you're okay with that fact, then heck, go for it.
3. What makes Green Hand so unique?
I think it's the alchemy of any place that is responsive to its community and surroundings. What we have on our shelves at the Green Hand is a reflection of the symbiotic relationship that occurs when readers influence a store or a library, which is where I learned about book selection and how helpful book requests can be when building an open collection. The combination of ideas is always going to be unique, because each mix of people in turn creates unique reflections of its interests.
Of course at the Green Hand it starts out with me making initial selections that are books and authors that I think my community will enjoy or need, based on my own experience as a book person. But after the doors open, there are new factors that affect my selection process. Do I have customers asking for particular topics or authors that I hadn't considered before? Yes! Do I have access to intriguing books I previously hadn't run across? Yes! Do I have customers ordering books that look like they'd be excellent additions to the new book table? Yes!
It makes for a great mix.
4. What are you reading right now? Is there anything you'd recommend to someone looking for a good beach read?
Oh wow, yes -- after a bit of a reading drought, things are catching my eye again (phew). For nonfiction, Monster in the Archives by Caroline Bicks is feeding my Stephen King cravings while I wait for his Talisman followup. I'm also chewing through The Men Who Stare at Goats by John Ronson. I really dug into another of his nonfiction books, The Psychopath Test, and this one is also proving to be a great read. I saw the movie years ago, and it has been fascinating to read beyond the more lighthearted film version.
I would highly recommend C.J. Leede's latest, Headlights, which has a real X-Files vibe, or Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward if you want a broody summer-in-Maine mystery with some layered plot twists. John Connolly's A River Red with Blood is another hard-hitting page-turner with Maine settings and great characters, good for a thrill -- or some snappy dialogue that will surprise you into grinning when you least expect it.
On the lighter side, In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker is a fun sf/time travel romp, and the start of a great series, highly entertaining. And please do not overlook the small masterpiece that is Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, now appearing as its adaptation into The Sheep Detectives. Delightful!
5. Who are three authors (alive or dead) that you'd like to have dinner with?
I think you can guess who my number one choice is (Stephen & Tabitha King, assuming a twofer is allowable!), but on the Other Side, I'd love to dine with Agatha Christie and Douglas Adams.
6. What can the greater Portland community do to help you and Green Hand?
Well, we all know this one by now -- BUY LOCAL! Quite honestly, word of mouth works wonders in your community to remind people about the great things that are right here, right now. Portland downtown still harbors many wonderful oases of creativity and community! Carpool with some friends for a daytrip or take a birthday outing that stops at all of Portland's wonderful bookstores, both secondhand and new, while taking refreshment breaks at great small eateries and cafes -- like Uncharted Tea and Mainely Noods on our block. It's a great way to spend time with friends -- and find a fun book or two at each stop along the way for your summer reading list!
The Green Hand Bookshop
661 Congress St. Portland, Maine 04101
207.253.6808
greenhandbookshop.com
facebook.com/greenhandbooks
instagram.com/greenhandbooks
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Help us out by ordering new books here instead of through Amazon: bookshop.org/shop/greenhandbooks
Help us out by getting your audiobooks here instead of through Amazon-owned Audible: libro.fm/greenhandbooks