Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Martire.
Hi Robert, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Since we were married, we used to kid around that one day after we retired, we would get a store of our own. Back then, we planned on a knick-knack store, but when we moved down to Conway, there was one of those stores every 500 feet. So my wife Lisa noticed no bookstores in Conway, and she and my daughter love to read. My daughter loved it so much that she went to school to learn how to edit, and she now works for Taylor and Frances, along with being a freelance editor. For 28 years, I was a dentist until the end of October 2022, when I was in a car accident that severely broke my right wrist, leaving two of my fingers completely numb, so I am unable to practice dentistry anymore. After a few months, my wife saw how depressed I was getting, and she got the ball rolling to try and find a place in Conway to open a new bookstore. Many trials and tribulations occurred looking for a storefront. Thankfully, we met Hillary Howard of Conway Downtown Live. She was determined to make our store a reality, and after a few bumps, we were fortunate to get a storefront on Main Street. It felt like destiny. Bad things happen for good reasons. Every cloud has some silver lining; you must work hard and believe. The store needed tons of work to get it together, but it was the most fun we ever had as a couple. It was the first complete summer we spent every second together. With her being a teacher and me as a dentist, we never had a summer entirely together. Then, on September 1st, we opened with an incredible outpouring of people. The support we received was overwhelming; we were so lucky.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
At the beginning of the storefront search, the realtor promised us a storefront; he shook my hand, gave me his word, and promptly gave it to someone else the following week. That put me into a more depressed state until 6-7 weeks later, Hillary Howard found us a place. Thanks to Mrs. Woodward and Mr. Nye, we took it, and it was far better than the other place. Again, I’m fortunate. There were many obstacles to getting the store ready, but I overcame them with great luck, charming people, and friends.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Our Next Chapter Bookstore LLC?
We sell new books. We want to be the bookstore you can go to in Conway, so you don’t have to travel 45 minutes to Barnes and Noble or Books a Million. If we don’t have it, we can order or pre-order upcoming books and get them in 7-10 days with no extra charge. Every Saturday, a local author comes in to sign their books and sometimes have a Q and A or read a passage.
We’d love to hear about your fond memories from growing up.
The first time, my family took me to Walt Disney World and Cape Canaveral.
Pricing:
- We do not upcharge and book. What is on the cover is what we sell it for.
Contact Info:
- Website: ournextchapterbookstore.com
- Instagram: ournextchapterbookstore
- Facebook: ournextchapterbookstore
Image Credits
First picture is Bob and Lisa Martire, Second picture is a part of the store, Last picture is Tom Kay, Michelle Martire, Bob Martire, Lisa Martire
