Last Call

Jo and Huck Truesdell, owners of TidePool Bookshop

Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Natives of Worcester, Jo and Huck Truesdell had fulfilling careers but when they retired, they embarked on a new adventure and opened an independent bookstore, TidePool Bookshop on Chandler Street. Disheartened by the downturn in the bookstore business, they learned how to do it by attending workshops and programs. And they did it all during a worldwide pandemic. They emphasize community, convening events for book lovers and enjoy curating a collection that will help visitors look below the surface and discover treasures, as in a tidepool. Truesdell sat down with Last Call to discuss what went into their herculean endeavor and their “grand opening” on April 30.

How was it getting into this new business?

Jo: It was a big learning curve for us — I was a kindergarten teacher and Huck worked in land protection, so it was a brand-new field. When we retired and thought about doing this, we got some people together and brainstormed and then we got in touch with the American Booksellers Association — ABA — and took workshops with their education arm and went to what was basically a bookstore boot camp. There were people from all across the country like us. We must have visited like 65 bookstores in two years and that was hugely valuable. We learned something new from every single bookstore we visited. Mostly in the Northeast but every time we went on a trip, we sought out the local bookstores.

How was it opening in 2020, of all years?

Jo: What we saw was that there are so many people around who want to help small businesses and Worcester is great that way. The community has been incredibly supportive. We’ve lived here forever and I think people in Worcester understand that supporting local businesses is what makes Worcester unique and the exciting, livable place that it is. All the people in the community, they make it happen. They make independent businesses work and we’re just so grateful to them, especially during the pandemic. It’s no question that the community got us through and gave us the courage to carry on — we relied on word of mouth.

We did some live events last fall during the lull in COVID but stopped when Omicron started. We did a number of very successful Zoom events, but now people are kind of Zoomed out.

Doing anything for Independent Bookstore Month?

Jo: Saturday, 4/30 is actually Independent Bookstore Day and this weekend is actually our grand opening. We didn’t have any events during the winter but we’re back in swing with in-person events. We’ve had a pretty full calendar this month. For IBD, we’re hoping to connect with other bookstores. Root and Press and Bedlam (Book Café) and put together a sort of passport so people can go to each store and get a stamp, with a discount on their next purchase if they’ve visited all three.

What are the events coming up that are you most excited for?

Jo: That would be so hard to say because we’re so excited for all of them. We have poetry readings, author events — lots of things. One of the things we love is being connected to the broader community. Last year we had a collection of books that connected to exhibits at the Worcester Historical Museum and Worcester Art Museum, but also having authors come and talk about their books and what went into it is great as well. People support all parts of the community so anytime we can make connections with other organizations, it is really exciting and valuable.

Would you say there’s a sort of community feeling with bookstores?

Jo: Absolutely. We share many of the same customers, which is great. The good thing is that people are venturing to all three — that’s kind of the unique thing about bookstores. Each one has its own character and people go to all of them for that different experience. People who love books love to go to bookstores. It’s definitely true that independent bookstores are a community in themselves but we also feel like we’re part of a larger community here in Worcester. Usually customers who go to one store, go to all independent bookstores. There’s sort of a resurgence in Worcester now.

A resurgence?

Jo: Yes, there were a couple that fell victim to the rise of Amazon. After 2005, until two years ago, there were no independent bookstores selling new books in the city of Worcester, which is kind of crazy. That’s part of the reason we decided to open TidePool to fill that vacuum. When we opened, there weren’t any aside from Annie’s Bookstop, which sells used. It took us a while, but we finally opened. We were supposed to open in March of 2020 which didn’t happen, but we did manage to in September 2020. But it was interesting that between the time we started looking into this (2017) and when we opened in 2020, both Bedlam Books and Root and Press opened. So there is a resurgence now, when there was a dearth for a while.

How did you decide on the name TidePool?

Jo:My maiden name is Herron so that’s where the logo comes from. My dad designed that heron symbol when he was a kid, so that’s been part of our lives forever and even though my name is spelled differently and my brothers have a small publishing company called Tidepool Press so we adopted the name. Two different businesses but we definitely support one another.

The great blue heron is such a great feature of our area and we didn’t really have them when I was growing up when they, like so many other species, moved in. They came back just like independent bookstores. Like a real tidepool, you find the best things when you dig down and that’s what a bookstore is all about. When you order a book online, you know what you want, but in a bookshop, you see books that you didn’t know existed and it opens your eyes to new and different things. The idea of seeing below the surface.

For more information, visit www.tidepoolbookshop.com.

Huck and Jo Truesdell opened TidePool Bookshop in 2020 on Chandler Street.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE