Siblings open folk and fairy tale bookstore in Owego

OWEGO, N.Y. — A lifetime love of books and reading inspired a new bookstore in the village of Owego, called SpellBound Books.

Jennifer Whitmore first got the idea to open the store during the pandemic and its aftermath. “In a previous life, I was a farmer,” she says. “I had a farmer’s market business.”

The pandemic hurt her business, especially when many things were closed, so Whitmore started considering other options. With a home that already looks like a bookstore, she jokes, and a lifelong love of reading, a bookstore seemed like a natural fit.

So, she put a post on her Facebook asking what people thought of the idea. “It went sort of viral for me,” Whitmore notes. It also prompted her brother Joseph McElwain to reach out and say, “Let’s make this a family business. Let’s do this together.”

After they talked about it, Whitmore put a lot of thought into the idea before looking up and seeing a shooting star.

“It was quite literally a wish on a star,” she says.

The siblings, who grew up in a family that read books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, decided to open a folk and fairy tale-themed bookstore and began looking for a building to purchase. After being outbid on several occasions, they switched gears and looked for a space to lease, ultimately settling on 20 Church St.

The location, right on the edge of the village’s historical district, is ideal, Whitmore says. “People are going by walking their dogs,” she says. “Pole are stopping by after their runs for a coffee reward.”

After a holiday pop-up shop last year and several months of renovating the 3,000-square-foot space, SpellBound Books had a soft opening in May. The opening was right in time to take advantage of the village’s annual strawberry festival in June, which brought lots of foot traffic past the store. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce in November brought even more.

“We’ve had so many wonderful comments from people,” Whitmore says. Along with a selection of new and used books, SpellBound Books carries an assortment of gift items and serves breakfast items like bagels, soups, sandwiches, and coffee from a small kitchen. Much of the store’s start-up inventory came from a library that reached out for help with its influx of donated books, Whitmore notes. 

Like the books they sell, the gift items and foods are just as carefully curated with many coming from local vendors and farmers including Everything Bagelry in Sidney, Copper Horse Coffee in Ithaca, and Hillcrest Dairy in Moravia.

“We serve homemade soups. We do a lot of our coffee flavors in house,” says Whitmore. “We’ve gotten really good compliments on how good the food tastes.”

SpellBound Books (www.spellboundowego.com) also offers a range of activities and opportunities, including providing space for book clubs to meet, offering live music, and even holding art and writing classes. Over the summer, the store hosted friendship Fridays where people could come in and do a craft and even hosted a “friendsgiving” event.

“I’m looking to do some classes having to do with my background,” Whitmore adds, noting learning about herbs and how to make coffee flavors at home are two topics she’s considering.

Currently, Whitmore and McElwain staff the store, with help one day a week from Whitmore’s adult daughter.

“We’re looking forward to the new year,” Whitmore says. “We have so many ideas and plans.”