The Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library’s BookCellar opened in their temporary location at 44 Lyme St. (across the street from the Library) yesterday. Over the past three months, a 10,000 volume bookstore of gently used books and media housed in the basement of the Old Lyme Library has been condensed into this temporary space across the street. The rest of the contents went into storage.
The space is still an art gallery so customers can peruse the art while purchasing books.
BookCellar Co-Manager Joan Overfield notes, “We expect to move back to our renovated space after the New Year. Our 60+ dedicated volunteers staff the BookCellar Wednesdays and Saturdays. Visit us if you are in the area. Stop by to browse a hand-picked selection of books or drop off your donations during their regular business hours.”
Overfield’s fellow co-manager Claudia Condon adds, “”Yesterday was a great day for Phoebe’s! We are excited to be in our temporary space. It is very bright and cozy–feels like a little book shop! Our volunteers are thrilled with the space. We had steady traffic all day with those bringing donations and shoppers. Some of the shoppers were Library patrons, who have been awaiting our reopening–we were closed for a month–and others were new customers strolling down Lyme Street and stopping in to see what we were all about.”
Condon also said enthusiastically, “We think the space will give us excellent retail exposure and maybe some new customers will follow us when we move back to the Library.”
All proceeds from the BookCellar benefit the Library. The BookCellar is open Wednesdays 10am-6pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm. Parking is on the street or behind Town Hall or the Library. New volunteers are always welcome at the BookCellar — drop in to discuss options with the current volunteers or call the library to find out more at 860-434-1684.
The move has taken place to allow the renovation project at the library to begin.
Yesterday, movers began work on the main floor of the Library. The room adjacent to the historic Reading Room (housing fiction and biography collections) has been cleared to make way for construction to begin soon. The attic spaces have been cleared, and most of the artwork has been removed from the Library to keep it safe during the duration of the project.
Phase I of the project will address the spaces listed above, as well as the lower level BookCellar. The precise start date of the project is yet to be finalized but is expected shortly.
The Lyme Old Lyme Junior Women’s Club (LOLJWC) is hosting their annual New Member’s Social at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at Kokomo’s in Old Lyme. The Club will be providing appetizers at the event. 
AREAWIDE – In an effort to expand program offerings, the Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) has announced a new Community Partnership Program with Essex Meadows.
OLD LYME —The Old Lyme Economic Development Commission (EDC) reminds all residents of the town and anyone who operates a business here to complete their online survey regarding the current economic condition of our town. The deadline for submitting responses is Friday, Sept. 27. The survey is available by scanning the QR code at left or visiting: 
LYME — Lyme Public Library hosts local resident and best-selling author James R. Benn on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m., when Benn will present “When Hell Struck Twelve: The 14th Billy Boyle Mystery.” This is the latest book in Benn’s series of popular Billy Boyle World War II mystery novels, which the New York Times Book Review has called “spirited wartime storytelling.”