Bob had to work two other jobs in order to keep his bookstore open. But his love for books and community made him persevere and eventually he moved the Spirit of ’76 to a better location in Marblehead. With this success he bought a second store in 1988—The Book Rack in Newburyport, and then he purchased Andover Bookstore in 1992. The Andover Bookstore is the second oldest bookstore in the country, founded in 1809. The Hugo bookstores celebrated 50 years of selling books on Feb. 15, 2015.
Sadly, this past July, Robert Hugo passed away suddenly. He was 72 years old, and he and John were making plans to open their fourth bookstore in Beverly—the recently opened Cabot Street Books and Cards in Beverly, MA. John now operates Hugo Books Inc. on his own.
John Hugo gave my book, Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke a chance in his Andover Bookstore location. After a successful launch and author talk, it has been selling consistently and John has added my book to his shelves in the other three bookstores. I was curious about the “man behind the successful bookstores”, so I decided to interview him and he talked freely about his life’s passion.
Here’s my interview with John Hugo:
I know your father, Robert Hugo, originated the bookstores, but you now run the family business. Do you have siblings that also work with you?
No. My sister went to college and was interested in other businesses. She has had a very successful career and even lived seven years in Australia. She has moved closer to home now that my father has died but she has her own line of work.
What age did you begin helping in your father’s bookstores?
I was 7 or 8 when I began vacuuming, 10 years old when I ran the register and by thirteen years of age I was working full time when I had breaks from school.
When did you know this could be your full time career?
After college I worked in other businesses but one day I got a call from my father and he asked me to come home and work with him so I did. Ever since then I have been working full time in books and related real estate.
You own four bookstores now, one is the second oldest bookstore in the country and one is brand new—this must mean that people are still reading books, even printed books and still want to browse and buy from bookstores. How have you kept the doors open in time where e-books, Amazon and bookstore chains have saturated the market?
We have opened our stores in good communities where residents support and value a hometown bookstore. We also keep changing and reinventing. We’ve made things smaller and added a café to several of them. We understand that people like to read for pleasure, to get away from their computers/screens and to relax. Many people enjoy holding a book, turning the pages, and sharing them when they are finished. Printed books fill book shelves, libraries and studies. E-books can’t do that. I look at trends and books are only a small portion of Amazon’s sales. Many people like to browse and choose printed books based on covers and recommendations. They can do that in independent bookstores. So, I would say it is a combination of being in the right towns and constantly changing with the times. We are soon going to sell vinyl records since there is a market for them. And the typewriter is coming back. Books are timeless so we aren’t going anywhere.
I notice your bookstores feature local authors—the Spirit of ’76 store in Marblehead has a huge bookshelf filled with local authors. How important are they to the fabric of your stores?
They are important because they are local people and we showcase as many as we can here. Our Newburyport store does very well selling local author’s books. We take local, self-published books when the author is willing to work hard to promote and sell their books.
What do you think the future holds for independent bookstores and where do you see Hugo Bookstores in the future?
I think independent bookstores will be around for a long time. Kindles and Nooks have come but have not replaced books. They are convenient for travelers and voracious readers, but many people like to read a book from cover to cover. Book clubs read, discuss and share books and readers proudly display them on their bookshelves. For Hugo Books Inc. I would like to open one more store in the future, but for right now I am working hard on keeping our existing stores thriving.
How many books do you read a month, and do you have a favorite genre?
I read about 3-4 books a month; about 50 books a year. I find myself reading lots of mystery fiction/thrillers. I have two very young children so I have to read quickly and the books have to be full of excitement and adventure or I’m likely to fall asleep.
Finally, do you have an all-time favorite book?
Hmm. I go back and forth between two books but I would have to say that Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is my favorite.
Thank you John, for sharing your story and your passion for the book industry. You can find my historical fiction, Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke and many other worthy reads at these fine Hugo Bookstores:
Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA
The Book Rack, Newburyport, MA
The Spirit of ’76, Marblehead, MA
Cabot Street Books and Cards Beverly, MA
Please support your local bookstore!!
Ellen Alden