What is Your Next Act? Ellen Burns and Darwin Ellis

This is the second in a series about Ridgefield residents who are on to a second, or encore career. Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ellen Burns and Darwin Ellis, owners of the beloved Books on the Common on Main Street. Ellen and Darwin operate the Bookstore, while they each keep active careers as a CPA and engineering consulting for Schlumberger, respectively. Ellen and Darwin are a charming couple who bought Books on the Common when the prior owner was retiring. The love of their Community and their love of books prompted this fabulous duo to embark on a seven day a week odyssey of honoring the culture of independent booksellers, while competing neck and neck with the likes of Amazon and other internet book sellers.

After five years of ownership at the original location at Copps Hill Common, moving the 18,000 book inventory to their present location was hugely ambitious, but has proven to be the best decision they could have made. The Store serves as one of the anchor store destinations on Main Street, in good company with Ridgefield Hardware, the Toy Chest, and Deborah Ann's Chocolates.

What was the defining moment in transitioning to your Second Act?

"When we found out that the prior owner, Sally Silbernagel was retiring, we could not bear to live in a town without a bookstore," says Darwin. Though they knew nothing about running a bookstore, they knew they loved books, and as Darwin says, "we do it because we love it." Ellen added, "We do it to serve the public, and the success of the Store speaks to Ridgefield as a Community."

How has the past empowered and inspired you?

Ellen and Darwin's continuing careers outside the Bookstore have given them a strong business sense, and helps with the myriad of reports, ordering, software glitches, as well as communications with publisher's reps and authors. "Sally was one of my clients, so I already knew a lot about the business before we decided to buy it from her," says Ellen.

What is the best part of what you are doing today?

Darwin has an easy answer to this question. "It is a joy to us. The store is like a neighborhood bar, but without the booze." Ellen adds that she loves customers having discussions about books, and others joining in on the conversation. They both love the enthusiasm in the air when kids burst in the door and run right to the children's section. "They could be asking for worse than a book," Darwin says with his characteristic dry sense of humor. Ellen adds with a smile, "We offer an anti-Social Media experience." The couple also have great fondness for the many young people who have worked part time in the Store, and return to work Summers year after year.

What's a day in the life like?

Ellen described the day as a dizzying pace that starts the minute the couple arrive at the store. They read reports of yesterday's sales, place two electronic orders for customers for next day delivery, as well as inventory replenishment, reading advance copies of books sent by publishers, meeting with book representatives, shelving books, redoing the displays, and more. It is an incredible pace, with the goal of providing service that competes with, and even exceeds the nemesis of independent booksellers, Amazon.com, which has "caused the publishing business to become completely upended and tumultuous," adds Ellen.

What's been your best vacation ever?

Ellen and Darwin love to vacation in Nantucket every year for a week to visit friends. Also high on Ellen's list is an annual week in Tuscany, at a friend's 14th Century farmhouse, living "the good life." After running three businesses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, once Ellen is on the plane is the only time she says, "I'm done."

If you are on your "encore" career, and would like to be featured in HamletHub's "What's Your Next Act?" please email Barbara Poole, Barbara.poole145@gmail.com.

Photo by Carol Mark.