WATERVILLE — Oliver & Friends Bookshop plans to move from Belgrade to downtown Waterville in the spring, the shop and Colby College announced Thursday.

The shop will move into about 950 square feet of the ground floor of Colby’s Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, located at 150 Main St.

It will be sandwiched between Camden National Bank and Colby’s Chace Community Forum, a public meeting space in the building, which houses more than 200 Colby students, faculty and staff on the upper floors.

“The general-interest bookshop, which opened in Belgrade Lakes in 2020, will carry books for all ages and in the future hopes to host traditional author signings, book club meetings and story time sessions,” a news release from the college and bookshop says.

Shop founder and owner Renee Cunningham said that while it was wonderful to start her business in Belgrade Lakes, it is a very seasonal area and the next chapter for the bookstore requires more consistent business throughout the year so it can continue to grow.

“As I started to talk to people about where I might move my shop, Waterville kept coming up,” Cunningham said in the release. “Then I saw the emphasis on the arts and humanities in the city and it quickly became very clear to me that Waterville would be the new home for the bookstore. It really felt like the perfect location.”

Cunningham said she felt instantly welcomed as a potential new business owner in Waterville. The spirit of the business community also played a role. One of the main reasons she decided to move Oliver & Friends Bookshop, she said, is the continued downtown revitalization efforts. It was impossible not to get excited about it and she looks forward to supporting and being part of the momentum, she said.

“Our goal is to create a really welcoming space where there’s something for every reader, encourage conversation and bring the community together,” she said.

Four years ago, the space was initially intended for a restaurant. A couple who owned a successful eatery and bar in downtown Portland had planned to open Verna’s All Day, a casual, classic American chop house, but then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived a few months later and scuttled those plans.

Brian Clark, Colby’s vice president of planning and strategy, said the college is pleased to have Cunningham and her bookshop occupy the 150 Main St. space.

“It’s a great addition to downtown Waterville,” Clark said, “and another example of creating an ideal Main Street that’s evolved into a real destination due in large part to the wide range of dynamic small businesses located there.”

Garvan Donegan, director of planning, innovation and economic development for the Central Maine Growth Council, thinks the location downtown is ideal for the bookshop.

“The new retail operation is poised to enrich the city’s cultural fabric, providing a hub for literary exploration and community engagement,” he said. “It aligns seamlessly with the city’s revitalization efforts.”

Other bookstores in Waterville include the Children’s Book Cellar at 52 Main St. and Re-Books at 25 Concourse East, both downtown, and Bull Moose Music at 80 Elm Plaza.

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