Finally, the bookstore industry is growing again. Marnie and Pete Lenge, the owners of Barrier Island Books & Art, are part of the trend: just last year, they opened a third location in the Stone Harbor Mall. Pete told Do The Shore that, after years of bleeding, 2023 and 2024 brought a 1% increase in the number of America’s independent bookstores. Here at the shore, books are booming again.
1% is a small increase, but to be out of the red is a meaningful step forward. It means that Marnie and Pete live in a market that can support three bookstores: one on 95th Street in Stone Harbor, another in the Stone Harbor Mall, and yet another on West Perry Street in West Cape May.
Marnie says the store has found success because young readers are excited about reading thanks to TikTok. “BookTok” (don’t roll your eyes) is the side of the popular video app devoted to the discussion, dissection, and recommendation of literature. Stores like Barrier Island Books are a way to take that into the tangible world.
“It’s more of a cultural hub; it’s not just about the books themselves,” Marnie said. Folks host book clubs at her stores, come in to chat with a real person about what they’re reading, and to find a new book on a whim. It helps, Marnie said, that the beach is a stereotypical place to read.
“A lot of people say: ‘Oh, I read on my Kindle at home, but a book at the beach,'” Marnie said.
Pete Lengle opened the first Barrier Island Books, the 95th Street location in Stone Harbor, in the early 2000s. It’s tucked away around an unassuming street corner, but still garnered a cult following of bookies who come back year after year.
Still, there were moments when Marnie and Pete had to give up the dream. The 2008 recession forced them to close the store on 95th Street. They weren’t alone. The Great Recession, coupled with the rise of Amazon, forced 30% of America’s bookstores to close.
But Pete was determined to get his store back. He originally sold the store to one of its employees. That employee, an older woman, eventually retired, and Pete was in the right place at the right time to re-purchase the store in 2017.
Today, the three locations deal mostly in used books, but they have started to dabble in new releases. Their new stock is based on word-of-mouth, customer recommendations, and the couple’s personal preferences.
Pete said that classic books like 1984, Brave New World, and Animal Farm – cautionary tales about technology and human nature – are very popular right now. He credits this rise in classics to the current political climate.
Marnie said that she has seen men, as a broad demographic, change their reading habits since she and her husband opened shop. Gone are the days when men commonly read political thrillers like Tom Clancy. Today, they tend to focus on non-fiction and history books. Editor’s Note: men, please read some fiction.
Birding books remain ever-popular at the shore. Many of the most prolific birding authors, like Peter Dunne, are from Cape May. Rare birding books – old field guides and uncommon editions – come through the store often because of Cape May’s location smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, a major migratory route for birds.
Most of the store’s used stock is sourced directly by Pete and Marnie. They’ve become avid thrifters and yard-sale rummagers. They know how to quickly parse through a stack of books to find the good stuff. Some of Marnie’s other finds, like old trinkets, are sold at the store, too.
The couple has remained committed to the bookstore industry despite the pain. Pete summed it up.
“We know how much the bookstore means to the people in the community. Yes, it’s a business, yes we’re trying to be profitable. I never wanted to see our store become something else that doesn’t contribute to society, to this community.”
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600 ext. 156 or by email at chall@cmcherald.com
