Oblong Books to celebrate 50 years with block party bash

MILLERTON — To celebrate its golden milestone, Oblong Books is throwing a “good old-fashioned block party” this Saturday, Aug. 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on South Center Street in Millerton. The free, family-friendly event will feature live music, food trucks, raffles and entertainment for all ages.

While the festivities mark 50 years since the founding of Oblong Books, co-owner Suzanna Hermans sees the party as something more. “We want to celebrate our friends, neighbors and generations of customers who have kept us here for 50 years,” she said. “It’s a thank-you to the people of Millerton, in particular, without whom we’d never be here.”

A highlight of the event will be New Yorker cartoonists Liza Donnelly and Michael Maslin, who will create simple, impromptu drawings inside the main store.

Hermans is the daughter of Oblong co-founder Dick Hermans, who opened the store in 1975 with a vision of creating a welcoming space for lovers of good books and music. With a $10,000 loan, he and founding partner Holly Nelson opened their first 400-square-foot shop on Main Street — now home to Demitasse.

As the business grew, Oblong expanded into Harold’s Apparel – now Cottage+Camp – in 1981, and eventually purchased its current building, then an antiques store. The staff walked the books across the street by hand during the move. Oblong Jr., located next door in what was once a shoemaker’s storefront, came later, as did a second location in Rhinebeck.

Dick Hermans, left, and Suzanna Hermans pose for a picture together in the Oblong Bookstore on Millerton's Main Street.Photo provided

Today, Suzanna Hermans is a second-generation owner of Oblong Books. Her parents met at the bookstore, and she has fond memories of going to preschool in the mornings and spending afternoons roaming the shelves with her father, always with a book in hand. As soon as she could see over the counter, Hermans would assist customers, recalling how exciting it was to finally be old enough to take credit card payments. “My dad was smart enough not to push me into it and let me come back to it naturally,” she said of taking over the family business after college.

A lot can happen to a local business over the course of half a century. Navigating shifts in technology, consumer behavior and the broader economy, it’s no small feat that Oblong has not only endured but become an iconic fixture of the community. “Bookstores have had ups and downs over the years, and we’ve been there to see most of them,” Hermans said.

In the 1990s, the rise of big-box chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders contributed to a steep decline in independent bookstores across the country. According to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the number of physical bookstores in the U.S. dropped from 13,136 in 1992 to just 6,448 by 2016.

The emergence of eBooks and Amazon further disrupted the industry. “They devalued books and taught consumers that books mean nothing,” Hermans said, adding, “Amazon will continue to be a challenge for us on a national scale.” Oblong has compensated for that by offering online purchasing and a digital storefront.

More recently, bookstores are facing the threat of censorship and efforts to limit access to books. “Today, things are crazy, and there are a lot of communities that are working very hard to ban books — including queer stories — from stores and libraries,” Hermans said. “We’re seeing a lot of freedom of speech and freedom to read issues as our next challenge, but I hope we’re shielded from that here in Millerton.”

Through it all, Hermans said it has been the support of the local community that helps Oblong weather these industry-wide changes.

“One thing that spans the whole length of it is our incredible staff that has worked for us over these last 50 years,” Hermans said. Since its founding, Oblong has employed more than 200 people — many of whom have stayed for five to 40 years. “Folks tend to stay a long time, which is an incredible testament to their admiration for bookselling,” she said. “But we also work really hard to be a great place to work.”

Even a casual walk through the store reveals the passion of its booksellers. Handwritten staff recommendations known as “shelf talkers” and colorful hand-drawn displays embody the charm and personality of an independent bookstore while a diverse, up-to-the-minute selection reflects the store’s commitment to a high-quality bookstore experience.

“Our staff picks are truly special,” Hermans said. With 24 booksellers across the two locations, each with their own distinct tastes, the result is a diverse and unique collection of recommendations. Hermans said the store’s “shelf talkers” are among Oblong’s most popular features. Some recommendations sell 20, 50 or even 100 copies — books that are often overlooked elsewhere.

Over the decades, Oblong has also become a destination for top-tier literary events featuring celebrity authors, local favorites and emerging voices. “We love our authors,” Hermans said. “We’ve built up a reputation that you can send your best-touring authors here to the Hudson Valley and they’re going to sell their books at our events.”

She adds that there is an “incredible depth” of literary talent in the region. Oblong now participates in approximately 150 events per year, an impressive number for an independent bookstore.

Though much has changed, the heart of Oblong Books remains the same: books, music and community. Originally called Oblong Books and Records, a section for vinyl and CDs can still be found in each location — a nod to the store’s musical roots.

“A lot of our shoppers are hardcore music lovers and people who like the novelty of buying a record or an LP,” Hermans said, noting that while music doesn’t drive profits, it remains part of the store’s identity. Her mother is a musician, and her father, “in all of his spare time,” she jokes, is a DJ for a folk radio show on WKZE.

Fifty years in, Oblong remains a cultural cornerstone of the Hudson Valley — not just a store, but a gathering place, a literary sanctuary and a celebration of the written word.

Dick Hermans is a member of the board of LJMN Media, publisher of The Millerton News.