Sure, we know that Borders is bankrupt and closing 200 bookstores. But of perhaps even more significance to Rhode Island boaters is the recent announcement that Armchair Sailor Books & Charts, an institution for waterborne bibliophiles on Thames Street in Newport, is shutting its doors next month after 32 years in business. “Times have changed and the past few years have been very difficult for independent specialty bookstore retailers,” said owner John Mann, in a statement obtained by Soundings Trade Only. Mann said online purchasing, plus the ability of mariners to obtain free or inexpensive nautical charts and guides online, had made it impossible to keep the store open.
Armchair Sailor will have a month-long spring sale in April and a final event to thank its loyal local customers. Mann said a new Web site operated by the store’s parent company, Bluewater Books and Charts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will allow customers access to the same types of titles and charts offered by Armchair Sailor’s Newport store, in addition to the inventory offered by the company’s flagship store in Fort Lauderdale.
Photos of Nautical Newport Bookstore to Close After 32 Years
