Darryl Peck has spent 54 years in retail and opened around 30 establishments—including everything from computer/tech businesses to a Chevrolet dealership. “I guess it’s safe to say that I have a thing for retail stores. I love the design phase of building a new store and then selecting the merchandise to open with,” he told The Lakeville Journal last April when he and his wife (Anne Lyndon Peck) and daughter (Alice) opened their bookstore in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Peck grew up in New York City, a loyal patron of Rizzoli’s Bookstore on 57th Street, which specialized in large-format illustrated books. He and Anne moved to Connecticut in 1990 and raised their family in Sharon.
Filling a need
Flash forward to 2025: “We bought and renovated a vintage 1880 building,” he says, referring to Lakeville Books & Stationery (329 Main Street), which opened its doors on April 3rd. Two months after opening, they expanded the Lakeville location by renovating the building’s second floor to accommodate an additional 7,000 books.
That location had just launched when someone asked, “Did you hear that The Bookloft in Great Barrington is closing?” The Bookloft (originally in Barrington Plaza on Stockbridge Road) was the brainchild of Eric and Evelyn Wilska, who established the business in 1974 and sold it to Pamela Pescosolido in 2016. She moved the store to 63 State Road and ran it there until her employee, Giovanni Boivin, took over the business in late 2022.
Having heard that The Bookloft was struggling, the Pecks offered to help Boivin last spring. When it became apparent the store would not survive, the couple stepped in. “We knew Great Barrington needed a local bookstore, and after we spent three weeks looking at every other space that was available in town, Pam [Pescosolido, who still owned the property] made us an offer we couldn’t refuse to remain in the same space.” So, they signed the long-term lease and got to work renovating again—this time, a far less extensive job mostly involving paint, carpet, and shelving.
Getting the layout to work was a significant challenge. “One of the biggest priorities, I knew, was improving the flow,” Peck states, adding, “I still did a dozen drafts of layouts on CAD and stared at the last draft for hours at night, before spending the next four months making it work.”
“We’ve done this enough times that we know what we want and what to expect,” Peck acknowledges. “We’ve never missed an opening day—and all of our contractors came through on time with this store as well.” While unpacking 20,000 items in three weeks was no small undertaking, the couple rallied—and on November 7th, opened their companion store, Lakeville Books & Stationery, in Great Barrington. The two Lakeville Books locations are a half hour apart, and the commute on Route 41 is a beautiful drive, according to Peck.
Writing the next chapter
“Of all the things I’ve been involved with, this is the most enjoyable,” Peck says, referring to the bookstores as his “retirement project.” It’s not the pair’s first rodeo in that regard. “We owned and operated a bookstore (Righton Books) on St. Simons Island in Georgia for the past seven years. From product selection to display shelves to staffing, we’ve done this before,” he assures.
Lakeville Books & Stationery is a general-interest bookstore that covers architecture and design, cooking and gardening, fiction and nonfiction, literature and memoirs, and much more. Peck emphasizes, “I think we’ve got very robust children’s, young readers, and young adult sections, and a well-curated, eclectic section for adults.” Cookbooks and gorgeous illustrated design books are his personal passions, while Anne has a background in architecture and interior design, so you’ll find a lot of selections in those categories as well.
Like its Connecticut companion, the Great Barrington location carries letter-writing and other paper goods. “As a family with three daughters, we’re all stationery junkies who go to the New York shows every six months,” Peck admits. Noting their vast array of paper goods and writing utensils, greeting cards and notecards, journals and notebooks, he says, “It’s kind of irresistible and sets us apart.” You’ll also find art supplies, board games, jigsaw puzzles, and other items.
But don’t expect to order a cappuccino. “We had a coffee shop in our Georgia bookstore, which definitely brought in more foot traffic, but running a coffee shop is much more difficult than running a bookstore. Booksellers stay with you for years; baristas leave after six months,” he explains.
The spine that holds it together
The most essential ingredient in this new venture is having a knowledgeable staff, Peck stresses. “We thrive on creating great management teams.” To that end, they’ve hired Julia Hobart as general manager and Blake Siter as sales manager, both of whom previously worked at The Bookloft.
So far, foot traffic has been remarkable—even without much publicity. “We put signs out front, placed ads in the papers, and announced it on our website, and on opening day, we arrived to cars in the parking lot waiting for us to turn the sign to ‘Open’,” Peck shares, noting that, “Ever since, there’s been a steady stream of smiling, happy people.”
Although both stores are relatively small, the public’s response so far has exceeded his expectations. “People already have the mindset that supporting the local shops is a priority,” he says. More than that, however, “Independent bookstores are particularly interesting beasts. What they offer is the chance to wander, explore, and discover the book you might otherwise never find. I’ve walked into every bookstore I passed my entire life.”
As for hosting special events at the store? “We’ll probably start those after the new year,” he predicts, adding, “It’s always tricky ensuring enough of a crowd that you don’t embarrass the author or yourselves.” It’s also too early to observe any meaningful customer trends in terms of demographics or reading preferences. For now, the team is focused on making it through the busy holiday season.
To thank customers for their loyalty and support, Lakeville Books offers LBS Rewards, where you can earn a $10 reward for every $200 you spend. To sign up, provide your full name and email address when you check out in-store or when ordering online using your account. You’ll also receive their monthly newsletter, which includes staff reviews of new titles.
Be sure to check out Lakeville Books & Stationery in Great Barrington (or Lakeville, Conn.!) for your holiday gift shopping. Shopping locally isn’t just about buying a product. It’s an act of community support and personal joy all in one. And yes, you’ll probably walk out with at least one title you didn’t know you needed—books have a way of finding you in places like this.
