No Substitute for Real Books for Her

What do you call a lawyer who lives to tell about facing down breast cancer, adopts a beautiful baby girl from China, and buys a local bookstore that she turns into a Barrington destination?

Well, aside from extremely busy, you call her Dana DeLuca-Shechtman, the owner of Barrington Books, at 184 County Road.

DeLuca-Shechtman grew up on the east side of Providence and attended The Wheeler School. College followed, and after obtaining her law degree, DeLuca-Shechtman practiced for 22 years, working for some of that time with her husband, Stephen Shechtman, a managing partner at Shechtman, Halperin and Savage.

DeLuca-Shechtman and her husband moved to Barrington 27 years ago. Her cousins grew up in Barrington, and her childhood remembrances of Barrington were of a “fairy paradise” with “lots of grass, and no sidewalks.”

She and her husband already had two children, Jason, now an auctioneer, and Sarah, who has just obtained her master's in vocal performance and opera at Boston Conservatory, when DeLuca-Shechtman was diagnosed with breast cancer. That was 14 years ago when she was 43.

It was during her recovery from cancer when her husband and children approached her and told her they wanted her to take another journey, literally and figuratively, and adopt a child from China.

DeLuca-Shechtman calls the adoption of their daughter, Emma, who is 12 and attends The Wheeler School, “our life affirmation.”

Like many cancer survivors, DeLuca-Shechtman found that her perspective on life changed as a result of her experience and. in turn, affected the decisions she would go on to make.

During her two older kids' growing-up years, DeLuca-Shechtman served as PTO president, volunteered at community events, and was involved with the Juvenile Hearing Board, serving for 21 years.

Those years also included many visits to what was formerly The Little Professor book store, which became Barrington Books around 15 years ago. When the former owner decided in 2008 that he was going to retire, the future of the book store looked anything but certain.

DeLuca-Shechtman spoke with her husband, and they decided it was time to act.

“We said, 'Let's preserve it. Let's keep it going',” she said.

As part of the book store's ongoing survival in this increasingly technological world, DeLuca-Shechtman said she needed to re-do the store's business model.

“It couldn't sustain itself as a bookstore only, so we diversified and expanded,” she explained. “People can come here and address all of their needs at once. As a result, it's now become a destination store.”

Indeed, the store has won multiple accolades from Rhode Island Monthly's' 'Best of RI', including Best Independent Bookstore East Bay, and Best Story Hour.

DeLuca-Shechtman credits the store's success to her hardworking staff and their many loyal customers.

“It's a real community in Barrington,” she said. “We know who walks in the door.”

It's exciting to DeLuca-Shechtman to make a connection with children in the community. She loves seeing them at the story hour, and delightedly recounted seeing a young child in Shaw's recently who recognized her from the book store.

“He said, 'Go sit in tree',” said DeLuca-Shechtman, referring to the story hour tree in the center of the store.

While DeLuca-Shechtman welcomes anything that encourages people to read more, she considers there to be no substitute for a real book, particularly for young children.

“My one hope and real wish is that parents and grandparents won't be reading a young child's bedtime story off a Kindle,” she said.