About TidePool Bookshop

Huck and Jo Truesdell
MISSION

With new and classic titles carefully selected and arranged to engage, inspire, and inform, Worcester’s TidePool Bookshop is dedicated to providing a local, independent book-buying experience for all. With an emphasis on “community, convening, and curation”, the business will offer complementary activities and gatherings, including book talks, readings, lectures, and children’s story hours.

A BIT ABOUT US

Jo and Huck Truesdell are natives of the Worcester area. Huck worked for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in land acquisition and the stewardship of wildlife habitat. Jo was a kindergarten teacher at Worcester’s Bancroft School. When they retired in 2017, the lack of an independent bookstore in the Heart of the Commonwealth spurred them into action. That summer they gathered a group of incredibly helpful advisors from the community, a group that continues to spirit them along throughout this journey.

They then set out to learn about the bookstore business, which entailed visiting over sixty bookstores, attending a week-long “Bookstore Bootcamp” sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, going to workshops and programs offered by the New England Independent Booksellers Association, and attending workshops at the Small Business Development Center and the Center for Women and Enterprise. There was a lot to learn—still is!—but there are people ready and willing to help at every turn. The independent bookstore world is, indeed, a most welcoming place! With strong ties to Worcester and its various institutions and organizations, Jo and Huck are thrilled to open TidePool BookShop’s doors to the Worcester community and beyond!

SHOP LOCAL

Celebrate community • Support local economy and jobs • Value personal service and curated selections • Choose TidePool Bookshop