It reads like the plot of a bestselling novel, but this is the true story—the current chapter—of Buffalo Books & Coffee.
In a valentine card, Deb Lefebvre’s husband Eric wrote this love note: “P.S. This card redeemable for 1 bookstore upon request.” Her family’s history with the bookstore was already a long and storied one, by then.
“We were considering moving here from Montreal, for Eric’s work, and Buffalo Books & Coffee made a difference in how we saw the town,” Lefebvre said. “We were customers here first, since before we lived here. On a recruiting visit from a big city, we came in and poked around and said, ‘What a lovely place to come… what a lovely community to have such a bookstore.’”
She appreciated not only the sweet location but also the carefully curated collection. “Once we moved here, we always came out with something interesting,” she said. “Once we had kids, there were great recommendations for kids’ books. We always came away with something we liked.”
Deb continued explaining a visit to the bookstore with their father was a special incentive for each of the Lefebvres’ four children: “When they read so many pages, Dad would offer a special treat, and he would bring them to the bookstore for a book and a pop.”
Deb Lefebvre, owner
“Having anything outside yourself when you’ve got your own worries is a good thing. We all need our human connection, and this is a great way for me to get a lot of that.”
Lefebvre said her family spent large parts of most Sundays at the bookstore. It was there, hanging out with their now-familiar community, they began hearing the bookstore was in danger of closing if a new buyer could not be found.
“Eric said, ‘You need to buy the bookstore,’” Deb shared. “’You at least need to talk to Ho (the then-owner) and find out.’ For weeks, he lobbied hard for me to buy the store.”
That was around Valentine’s Day in 2014. By the end of March, Deb Lefebvre was the new owner. It happened only after she had the assurances of the bookstore staff that her family would still be able to go on their annual, three-week camping trip that summer.
They bought the shop. Just two months later, they took their trip. A month after that, Eric was killed in a motorcycle wreck.
The bookstore lived on.
“Having anything outside yourself when you’ve got your own worries is a good thing,” Deb said. “We all need our human connection, and this is a great way for me to get a lot of that.”
The owner shared she was most surprised by how that felt, by how warm and supportive the community has been to her and to her family. She stressed, Buffalo Books & Coffee is a great place to just be. “Book people are nice people,” Deb gushed. “They share stories of things they’ve enjoyed and they look out for each other. I want people to always know that they can come and gather and share their lives with us, and find their next great escape read or parenting advice… or whatever they need.”
She knows taking over the bookstore is exactly what she needed, even if her husband was the one to see it first. “My husband was really worried I would feel under-utilized with the kids all in school,” Deb confessed. “I mean, I did worry what the next act would be as the kids got older. I love to learn and I love to have something to put my teeth into. So, this was a huge thing for me to learn.”
Lefebvre is learning more, learning still. She joked with the original owner Ho Taft that there’s a 20-year learning curve. So, there’s still some time to grow. Buffalo Books & Coffee is a home for Lefebvre and her family:
“Books are like breathing for us. We’re all big readers. And, now, three of the four kids have worked here, in different capacities. It’s where they meet their friends. We’ve had, like, Knowledge Bowl practices here. We’ve had after-school gatherings with friends, after-hours gatherings with friends. It’s a place where they meet their friends.”
“That does seem to be the best thing about this independent bookshop—the people, the relationships, the sense of belonging. Lefebvre said some of her favorite scenes play out when she spots couples and can tell they’re on dates at the bookstore. Other times, it’s not romantic, but simply casual meetings among friends.”
“I just remember, one day, two guys in their early-thirties—I think they’re both school teachers—came in here on a Sunday morning to drink coffee and play a card game together,” Deb mused. “It’s the only time they had from their busy lives and being dads to enjoy some time as friends together.”
Enjoying time together—however and with whomever—that’s the blockbuster theme of Buffalo Books & Coffee. Deb loves it. She knows her husband Eric would love it, too.
“He would be so happy just to see how it’s doing,” she said. “We have even more books now. It’s a happy place. I know he would love that.”