Category: Q&A

Jeff LeDuc

Jeff LeDuc of Epping is the owner and founder of the Dawg Shed (find them on Facebook @dawgshed), a food stand he runs with family friend Shannon Knox that offers hot dogs, cold subs, salads, soups and other items made fresh daily, including chili dogs as specials on Fridays and Saturdays. LeDuc, who also owns a shed building and delivery company called JD’s Sheds and More, had been running a hot dog cart on the side at local venues for about three years. He started the Dawg Shed last December — you can find it next to Floral Expressions Boutique (252 Calef Hwy., Epping) every Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. and usually until the mid- to late afternoon, depending on the day.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Definitely a knife. That’s the most important.

What would you have for your last meal?

Something Italian, probably chicken Parm.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I have three that I visit very frequently that are all right here in town. Telly’s across the street, the Holy Grail Pub and then also DeBernardo’s.

What celebrity would you like to see visiting your food stand?

I’d love to see anyone from the [Boston] Bruins team from the ‘70s or ‘80s, [like] Bobby Orr, Terry O’Reilly or Brad Park. All of them are very supportive of the local hockey teams and are just great professional athletes.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

A sauerkraut dog with spiced mustard.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

I think the trend is what we’re offering, which is fresh foods like homemade soups and sandwiches made right in front of you. … I think more people now feel the need to support local businesses in their community.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I love doing omelets in the morning, usually bacon and cheese. In the evening, there’s nothing better than a nice T-bone steak cooked on the grill.

Cranberry walnut chicken salad
From the kitchen of Jeff LeDuc and Shannon Knox of the Dawg Shed in Epping (combine the following ingredients)
Oven roasted chicken breast (quantity depending on preference)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 to 3 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons mixed Italian herbs

Featured photo: Jeff LeDuc of the Dawg Shed in Epping

Airport art exhibition via iPhone

There’s an augmented reality app for that

In the early 1990s, Tom McGurrin crafted a brooch from gold and a single pearl. The brooch’s design is organic in nature, almost resembling that of a caterpillar on a branch. He hammered the gold against granite and folded it until he was satisfied with its texture. Then he sold it. But he never imagined that someday anyone with a smartphone would be able to open an app and see that brooch in a virtual art exhibition. In fact, he didn’t even know what a smartphone was.

Today, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is using technology to make items like that brooch viewable beyond the walls of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, where the physical collection is currently on display. The League partnered with Aery, an augmented reality app, to bring its museum collection to Apple devices.

“It’s a great way to bring forward what’s happening in technology and how it relates to the world of craft and art,” said Miriam Carter, the executive director of the League of NH Craftsmen. “Everyone loves technology these days, so it advances the possibilities of what we can do to show beautiful, handmade crafts.”

The Augmented Reality Exhibition includes pieces ranging from carved birds and lamps made of jade to the gold brooch crafted by McGurrin.

Objects in the League of NH Craftsmen’s collection were photographed from all angles in order to create complete 3D images, which were then uploaded to Aery.

“You can then see the entire [object] as it exists,” Carter said.

The app also allows viewers to manipulate the objects; they can have some fun by placing them in front of scenic backdrops or changing their size. For example, a carved bird that’s only a few inches tall can be made eight feet tall and positioned to tower over a backdrop of cars.

The project was spearheaded by the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts, of which the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, League of NH Craftsmen and Aery are all members.

“We are working to create partnerships between our members that allow us to demonstrate the creative economy at work,” said Tricia Soule, executive director of the committee.

Originally, the exhibit was only going to be on display at the Manchester airport.

“The airport is an access point for people coming to New Hampshire, so we wanted to have this featured there,” Carter said. “We’re a large, iconic New Hampshire organization and we wanted to let people know about us and all the wonderful cultural entities in the state itself.”

Soule also had a clear vision going into the project: “To bring artwork into the airport to showcase arts and cultural organizations in the state of New Hampshire … [and to] showcase New Hampshire as a destination for people to enjoy arts and culture.”

And then the airport closed.

Now, though the exhibition has been on display at the airport since December, even people who are not traveling can access it through the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts’s channel on Aery. Karina Mitchell, vice president of Aery, describes it as “an augmented reality app that allows guests to view augmented reality art in their home as a curated collection.”

Carter said she’s excited for a time when the League’s Exhibition Gallery in Concord can reopen and the permanent collection can be experienced in person again; the Gallery has been closed for about a year because of the pandemic.

“That’ll be our opening, celebratory event when we reach some form of normalcy,” she said with a laugh. “At that time, we’ll actually have folks on hand to show the app as well. So you’ll see the live objects, but you’ll also see what this app can do.”

As for McGurrin? “Nothing really replaces looking at something in person.” On the other hand, he adds, “It’s kind of a lot of fun.” – By Sadie Burgess

Augmented Reality Exhibition
When: All day, every day through May
Where: Aery AR app (iOS compatible)
More info: nhcrafts.org/augmented-reality-exhibition

Featured photo: Image from Aery. Courtesy of Tricia Soule.

Art

Call for Art

• NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.
• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].
• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “ON THE BRIGHT SIDE” New Hampshire Art Association features works by multiple artists in a variety of media. On view now through March 28, in person at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and online. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Online opening reception to be held on Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.
• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display March 23 through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater

Auditions

• HAMLET Video auditions for post-apocalyptic reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, produced by Manchester-based theater company Cue Zero Theatre Co. Open roles include Gertrude, Laertes, Guildenstern/Bernardo and ensemble characters. Performers must be at least 16 years old by opening night. To audition, submit a one-minute video of yourself performing a Shakespearean monologue that showcases your theatrical abilities by 11:59 p.m., on Sun., March 21. Callbacks will be held in person on Thurs., March 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit cztheatre.com or email [email protected].

Shows

• A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.
• FIFTH ANNUAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL New Hampshire Theatre Project presents. Five storytellers tell traditional and personal tales inspired by NHTP’s 2020 – 2021 MainStage theme “What Are You Waiting For?” Sat., April 10, 7 p.m. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Tickets cost $36. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Back to health

Program provides nursing education, employment

Catholic Charities New Hampshire recently announced the launch of Pathways, a career development and advancement program for New Hampshire residents working or interested in working in the health care field. Darlene Underhill, CCNH director of clinical services, discussed the program and how it hopes to address the shortage of health care workers, at CCNH’s facilities and throughout the state.

What’s happening with the number of health care workers in New Hampshire?

There’s been a health care staffing crisis and a critical shortage of both Licensed Nursing Assistants and nurses in New Hampshire and, in fact, in the whole country, for years. … Hospitals, nursing homes, home health [services] — all of us are competing for the same small pool of nurses and Licensed Nursing Assistants in the state.

What’s causing the shortage?

The number of people going into health care careers has been steadily declining. The average age of nurses in the state is almost 50 right now. … Covid certainly hasn’t helped things; Covid has made it much worse, because [it led to] a lot of health care workers deciding to get out of the health care field altogether, or to take an early retirement.

Why are fewer people pursuing careers in health care?

I think there are a lot more opportunities for a variety of [other careers] that people are choosing to do. … [Pursuing a career in] health care is very expensive and takes a lot of time. The state will typically reimburse a Nursing Assistant [for education costs] once they get their license, but having to pay up front to enter the program makes it cost-prohibitive for many individuals.

How does the Pathways program work?

People [pursuing a career in health care] are trying to work, trying to go school and trying to pay for it all, and what we’re doing is paying for the [licensing] program up front so that they can continue to work and go to school without having to worry about that financial burden. We also give them some time off [from their job] to study while they’re in school, and we pay them for that. … Last year, we started offering scholarships for some of our own Licensed Nursing Assistants, partnering with Harmony [Health Care Institute in Merrimack] for them to go into an LPN program. We graduated nine of our LNAs as LPNs, and they’re now working in our facilities. We had so many people from our facilities apply to go into the program that we decided we really needed to do this as an ongoing, formal program, not just a one-time thing. … This year, we just awarded 10 more scholarships for LNAs who work in our facilities to go into the program. … We’ve also just started doing the same thing for entry-level people who don’t have a career or background in health care yet but are looking to get into a new career in health care. We’re paying for the program and any expenses related to it — we’re working with LNA Health Careers [in Manchester] — for them to become Licensed Nursing Assistants. While they’re going to school, we hire them into our facilities as unit aides where they’ll be making beds and assisting with dining and activities and things like that. Then, once they get certified and licensed, we will offer them a position in one of our facilities as a Licensed Nursing Assistant.

What are you looking to accomplish with the program, short-term and long-term?

It’s helping people grow, develop into who they want to be and achieve what they want for their life by moving forward in their careers, and helping people get out of poverty. … For us, the benefit is that we would hire them as employees. We have been living with this critical [health care] staffing shortage, especially since Covid, every day in our skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facility. This is a way for us to grow our staff. … In the long run, we hope it contributes to easing the nursing [staffing] crisis in the state. We do ask [program graduates] for a commitment of time [of employment with CCNH], but we know that not all of them are going to stay with us forever; some of them will want to move on to other [health care facilities], and that’s fine, because overall, the more nurses who are added to the state pool, the better off everybody is going to be.

Any plans to expand the program in the future?

We’re definitely going to keep growing and expanding in terms of servicing more students, and we’re talking about branching into an RN program next year so that [the LNP program graduates] can keep going straight into an RN program, or maybe putting LNA [program students] all the way through to RN.

Featured photo: Darlene Underhill. Courtesy photo.

Bryan Leary

Bryan Leary has been the executive chef of the Oak & Grain Restaurant (Inn at Pleasant Lake, 853 Pleasant St., New London, 873-4833, innatpleasantlake.com) since early 2016. In addition to indoor dining open to the public, the Oak & Grain is now offering seasonally inspired a la carte takeout meals. Its menu options change every two to three weeks but often include locally sourced steaks, seafood, soups and appetizers. Three-course brunches are served on Sundays. A New Hampshire native, Leary has amassed experience in all kinds of cooking styles over the course of his career. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and later accepted a culinary position at the Scottsdale Fairmont Resort in Arizona. Before coming to the Inn at Pleasant Lake, he worked as a chef at The Grill Room in Portland, Maine.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Either [a pair of] tongs, or my two-pound meat cleaver.

What would you have for your last meal?

My wife’s enchiladas with charred grilled chicken, and a Coke slurpee.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I like The Coach House in New London. I also love The Black Trumpet [Bistro in Portsmouth]. Evan [Mallett] is an incredible chef there.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at your restaurant?

Probably [New York chef] Dan Barber. He’s one of my favorites. He’s incredibly smart in terms of food and expanding our horizons into what we should be eating.

What is your favorite thing that you’ve ever featured on your menu?

I really like being able to use product to create something that’s multi-faceted and just unique and different. … So, for example, we’ve done our own Tahitian buttermilk panna cotta from butter we make from local cream.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Switching to more of a family-friendly aspect in fine dining. We were strictly French service my first year here … [but] now the atmosphere is more easygoing and approachable.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Barbecue food, because there’s a lot of complexity that goes into it. I love ribs especially.

Seared Canadian sea scallops and citrus-braised pork belly, with yellow curry yogurt, burnt leek puree, herbs and chicken kombu grains

From the kitchen of Bryan Leary of the Oak & Grain Restaurant, at the Inn at Pleasant Lake in New London

For the burnt leek puree:

Split a full leek down the middle. Rub with oil and burn on the grill or saute pan until black. Chop each side into quarters and place on a sheet tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove leek from the oven. Place it in a blender and puree with olive oil just until it is a smooth paste. Season with salt and a little bit of lemon juice. Set aside for plating.

For the yellow curry yogurt:
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon yellow curry
juice of half a lemon

Mix all ingredients together until incorporated. Set aside for plating.

For the chicken kombu:
1 quart chicken stock (pre-bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 sheet kombu seaweed
1 cup mixed grains (quinoa, sorghum, millet or other grain of choice)

Pour chicken stock, soy sauce and kombu seaweed into a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the pork cure:
Juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 orange, 2 lemons and 1 grapefruit
½ cup salt
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup bourbon
Pork belly

Mix ingredients together and rub on both sides of the pork belly. Place in a hotel pan, wrap and refrigerate for two days. After removing the cure, line the same hotel pan with foil and parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for an hour and 45 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes, then cut up into 1-by-1-inch cubes. Set aside for plating. (Optional: For quicker time, you can use a few strips of bacon and bake at the same temperature for 17 minutes.)

Clean scallops under cold water, then pat dry. In a small mixing bowl, add a little oil and seasoning. Let the scallops sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan. Carefully place scallops into the pan until golden brown, then flip and remove pan from heat. Let them sit in the pan for two minutes.

Add a small pile of the kombu chicken stock grains in the center of the plate, followed by a few dollops of burnt leeks puree. Place a few pieces of pork belly on top of the puree. Scatter the scallops around the plate, adding a dollop of curry yogurt on top of each. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Featured photo: Bryan Leary of Oak & Grain Restaurant in New London

Drawn in

New community art classes come to Manchester

Manchester has welcomed a new creative space to its growing art scene on Hanover Street.

Art House Studios, owned and operated by Manchester artist and art instructor Jason Bagatta, provides small, in-person drawing and painting classes and workshops for all levels.

“I’ve been in Manchester for a while and … I’m always looking to create something new, to make this town a better place to be,” Bagatta said.

Bagatta, who holds a master’s degree in fine art and interdisciplinary art with a focus on drawing, painting and conceptual art, has been teaching art at the college level for more than 20 years. He also teaches youth and community arts and decided to open Art House Studios, he said, after noticing an increasing demand for community arts education opportunities.

“The community and continuing ed classes I was teaching would almost always fill up,” he said. “There are many people who are not pursuing a degree [in art] but are interested in the arts and want to develop their skills further, or they’re just looking for a way to express themselves and focus their creative energy.”

The 1,200-square-foot studio has high ceilings and multiple windows and is “totally suitable for adhering to social distancing and safety protocols,” Bagatta said.

Art House Studios currently offers four courses. They run for six or seven weeks, starting whenever there is enough interest, with classes held once a week.

The “Drawing Fundamentals” course explores techniques of observational drawing, beginning with simple shapes and lines. Students will work with a variety of media, including graphite, chalk pastel, charcoal, pen, brush, ink and colored pencil. The “Painting in Acrylic” course covers the basics of color, line, shape, texture, light and shadow as well as the color-mixing and texture-building possibilities and limitations of acrylic paint. Students will sketch, then paint subjects or scenes from observation, memory or a photograph. “Drawing Fundamentals” and “Painting in Acrylic” are geared toward novice and intermediate level students.

In “Drawing: Observation to Abstraction,” intermediate and advanced level students will use their knowledge of fundamental drawing techniques to deviate from visual reality while maintaining clarity in their artistic vision. They will work with pencils, charcoal, stick and pencil pastel, colored markers, colored pencil, watercolor, paint pens, ballpoint pen and black ink pens.

“Exploring Mixed Media,” open to all levels, will include a study of the concept of mixed media and experimentation with a variety of 2D and 3D media to create symbolic meaning within the context of a theme.

More courses may be added in the future, depending on what people’s interests are.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Bagatta said. “The more people talk to me about what they want, the more inclined I am to open things up and gear a class toward them.”

Bagatta said students will receive individualized attention to help them set and achieve their own goals for what they want to get out of the class.

“My intention is not to teach people to do things my way,” he said. “It’s to guide people in the direction that they need to go in. I want them to take the tools and techniques and processes that I’m showing them and interpret those in their own way.”

As of now, classes are limited to six students but can have up to 12 students once it’s safe to do so, he said. Masks will be required at all times, and the studio will be disinfected after each class.

Art House Studios School for Drawing & Painting
Where: 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester
When: Courses run six or seven weeks. Classes run two-and-a-half hours and are held one day a week. Start dates and schedules vary, depending on interest.
Cost: $165 for six-week courses, $190 for seven-week courses
More info: arthousestudios.org, [email protected]

Featured photo: Inside Art House Studios. Courtesy photo.

Art

Call for Art

• NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.

• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

Theater

Shows

• A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Best seller

Toadstool Bookshops named Retailer of the Year

The New Hampshire Retail Association’s New Hampshire Retailer of the Year award recognizes retailers in the state that have achieved excellence in creativity, customer service, commitment to the community and work environment. The 2021 recipient is The Toadstool Bookshops, owned by Holly and Willard Williams, Jeff Osgood and Lowell Morris, with store locations in Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. Willard Williams talked about how the Toadstool managed to stay afloat and continue to serve book lovers throughout the pandemic.

How did the Toadstool handle the first few months of the pandemic?

In late March, we had to close our doors and couldn’t be open for people to come in the store. … A lot of our sales are really based on people coming in and browsing … so we had to try to find other ways to let people know what new books were out there. We started creating different lists, like a Black Lives Matter[-inspired] list and lists of new arrivals. … Our website became really active, and we started getting a lot of orders online, and a lot of phone calls from people who wanted to pick things up curbside. We learned how to pack and ship books quickly. We’ve always had a number of in-store author events but had to stop those, of course, so we started doing them virtually, on Facebook at first, and then we started using Zoom. … It was a lot of hard work in the beginning to figure out how to do online business and virtual events and curbside, but our staff was really good about picking up on everything quickly and working together.

How were things different after you reopened?

In mid-June, we were able to let people come into the store again. We put up plexiglass barriers at the counters and, of course, put out hand sanitizer and started requiring masks for everyone. The store is large enough that we didn’t have an issue with people being able to spread out sufficiently and keep their distance. We set things up a little differently so that there’s better traffic flow. We had to take all of the chairs out of the store because we didn’t really want people sitting or lingering. The whole idea was to get people to come in, get what they want quickly, and then leave. … That was the hardest thing for us, having to tell people, ‘We want to see you; we want you to come in; but unfortunately, you can’t stay; you have to come and go quickly.’ In the good old days, people would come in, meet each other, talk, chat, gossip, but I really can’t encourage that in the store.

How are you doing, business-wise?

We were down probably about 60 percent [in sales] during March, April, May and early June. Once we were able to open again in mid-June, [sales numbers] started to come back, and in the fall they were actually better than [they were in the fall of] the previous year.

How have you taken care of your staff?

We had to cut back on staff in the beginning, unfortunately. We were able to take advantage of the PPP program from the federal government, so in early June we started bringing some [staff] back to help us out in the store. … The biggest challenge for our staff was trying to find a schedule that allowed them to stay home with their kids when they weren’t in school. … We’re pretty much back to the staff that we had before. Now we’re just trying to make sure everybody stays healthy and that our stores are a safe place to work.

How have your customers stepped up?

I know a number of people who used their stimulus checks to buy books and kind of fill up their personal libraries. We sold a lot of gift certificates — 50 percent more than we would have during that time of year — to people who just wanted to make sure that we still had the cash to survive and get through this. We’re really grateful for that. It’s been encouraging to know that people really wanted us to be here when it was all over. There were those who told us they considered us an essential business because being able to access books is so vital to their lives, and that’s been nice to hear.

How did it feel, being named New Hampshire Retailer of the Year?

We’ve been a member of the New Hampshire Retail Association for quite a number of years, but I had never been aware of the award until I heard that a local person had nominated us for it. I thought, ‘Well, that’s nice,’ but I didn’t think we would actually win. There are so many retailers in the state, and I think that anybody who’s still in business after [the pandemic] is deserving of an award. But we’ve been here for 50 years now, so it was nice to get that recognition.

How are things looking now?

It’s pretty close to normal. We still have no chairs and still don’t encourage lingering, but people can come in and browse again. We’re doing our best to make sure people enjoy being able to come into the store and get out and about while also making sure people stay safe and healthy when they come in.

Featured photo: Willard Williams with wife and Toadstool co-owner Holly Williams. Courtesy photo.

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