New Independent Bookstore Coming To Old Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Some say there's nothing better than a good book.

The community will have the chance to get their hands on plenty of good books beginning Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. when Athena Books opens at 228 Sound Beach Ave. in Old Greenwich.

The idea for the independent bookstore, which will move into the space previously occupied by the religious goods store CM Almy, came from Riverside residents and entrepreneurs Jennifer Bird and her husband Odysseas Kostas.

Bird runs a small legal search firm, and Kostas used to have a medical practice in Greenwich, but has transitioned to the finance world.

"During the pandemic, we were reading a ton with our girls, who are 6 and 8 years old. We would take literally hundreds of books out of the library to keep them busy. My husband and I are both big readers, too," Bird said.

To get away for a little, the family took several small trips to nearby towns over the last year. One of the few activities they felt they could do as a family was go to bookstores.

"On one of those trips [earlier this year], I turned to my husband and said, 'Maybe we should open a bookstore,'" Bird recalled saying. Kostas grew up in Greenwich, and was very familiar with the bookstores of the past.

"My husband surprised me when he said he always wanted to work in a bookstore. When I heard him say that, I felt like maybe this was doable," Bird added.

The couple got in touch with a real estate agent, who showed them the 2,000 square foot space in Old Greenwich.

"There's a beautiful circle in the middle, perfect for shelves. It can be a place where you can put furniture and people can gather and either read books while they're in the store, or you can have events there in the evening," Bird said. "It was the space that inspired us to make a go of this. Since then, we've been working really hard to get everything all together."

There will be close to 6,000 books for people to choose from. But Bird hopes Athena Books turns into something more than a place where people just come to make purchases.

She wants it to be a space where everyone can come together, have fun and feel like they're a part of something.

"We're hoping it can be a place where we can host book clubs in the evening and author events, and have other gathering-type activities. I think that's what can make a bookstore successful — having the curation and the community [aspect]," Bird said.

Despite the digital age, Bird believes physical books are making a comeback as people look to escape their devices and screens. She hopes to highlight certain books that might be interesting, and explain why they're interesting, something Amazon can't do, she said.

Kostas' family is from Greece, and Bird said they've learned about Greek mythology over the years. Athena is the Olympian goddess of wisdom, so the name made perfect sense. The bookstore's logo is also an olive tree, which played an integral part in Athena's story.

"We're hoping to raise two strong daughters. It just felt like a good name as far as what we were looking to create," Bird said

A website is currently being developed, but for now, people can browse reading lists from Athena Books here, and purchase books for delivery. A portion of sales will go towards supporting the business, Bird said.

The community can also follow Athena Books on Instagram @AthenaBooksOG.