Williston
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JULY 23, 2026
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Beyond their Wildest dreams Observer owners open bookstore and café
BY JASON STARR Observer staff Other than esteem for the printed word, it may not be apparent the symbiosis between a community newspaper (this community newspaper) and a bookstore and café. But Susan and Rick Cote, owners of the Williston Observer, have launched a business they believe complements the newspaper and furthers its multi-faceted mission. Wild Meadows Books & Café opened its doors in June and is now humming with book sales, food and beverage service, occasional events and a gathering space in the heart of Williston’s Taft Corners. “It all comes down to community, community, community,” Rick Cote said. “Our mission is to celebrate community.” The Observer has been effectively homeless since 2020, when we vacated our former offices at Cornerstone Drive amid the deepening pandemic. The Cotes bought the paper a few months later. In 2024 they began thinking about ways to bring the Observer under one roof again, but in something more than a traditional office setting. “We were interested in a physical space to even better fulfill the mission of the paper,” Susan Cote said. “We got the idea for a bookstore, because Williston doesn’t have a bookstore, and a bookstore tends to be such a community gathering space — a place where people want to come and hear stories and share ideas. It seemed like a natural complement to a community paper. “And we felt that it needed to have a café as part of it to bring that idea more fully to life.” In addition to celebrating community, the newspaper’s stated mission is to build a unique sense of place, create a space for dialogue, to foster civic engagement and support a thriving economy. And while one
Parking lot, turn-lane cut from library project Selectboard to vote Tuesday whether to go to ballot BY JASON STARR Observer staff
atmosphere for a drink on the town. “Our aim was to create a space where people could meet as a group or just come on their own and enjoy some food and maybe drink in an environment that, frankly, doesn’t have TVs on the wall,” Rick Cote said. “It isn’t a bar setting. It’s a quieter spot.” Williston resident Josilyn Adams lives within walking distance of the store. Her children, at ages 10 and 12, are too old for the Wild Meadows children’s corner, but she’s excited for them to have a hangout spot they can bike to with friends. “I could totally see that being a place where they start off, they get themselves a pastry or a yummy drink, then from there, possibly walk to Ulta or over to Dick’s or
The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Board of Trustees has approved new reductions in scope to its library expansion proposal in hopes of winning voter approval to finance the project in November. The Williston Selectboard is expected to vote next Tuesday whether to place a bond question on the Nov. 3 general election ballot to finance the project. The total project cost estimate from Black River Design Architects is now $9.9 million. The selectboard plans to seek $9 million in bond financing. The trustees had already reduced the project scope from $14 million after voters defeated a bond proposal in May. The defeat came as a reconsideration of the Town Meeting Day approval of a $13 million bond for the project. The new reductions will save roughly $300,000, according to Library Director Kevin Unrath. They include an elimination of a new parking lot that was planned to be paved onto a section of the Village Green as well as elimination of a left-turn lane exiting
see WILD MEADOWS page 2
see LIBRARY page 2
Susan and Rick Cote, owners of the Williston Observer, opened Wild Meadows Books & Café in June. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
shouldn’t confuse Wild Meadows for the Observer’s newsroom, the Cotes are brainstorming ways journalism will have a presence in the store, including through events. “I think the bookstore complements every part of the Observer’s mission,” Rick Cote said. It also fills a need for Williston. Café seating was filled Tuesday morning with the laptop worker crowd and friends meeting in conversation. The children’s corner of the store is home to regular story times with more events in the works. The store is adorned with whimsical wall art, living room style furniture and a colorful labyrinth of book and product displays. Daily hours are 10-6, but the store has extended hours until 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. With wine and beer on the menu, the café offers an alternative
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