Frenchtown Bookshop, which recently opened on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, is the result of a pandemic-inspired brainstorm between its two owners. Alex Mutter leafed through the founders’ journey for Shelf Awareness.

Barbara deWilde and Scott Sheldon worked in New York but have a house here. During the shutdown, they spent a lot of time locally.

Their professional hibernation sparked the idea of opening a bookstore.

Although neither had retail experience, both had professional skills applicable to the literary industry. deWilde was a digital product designer for The New York Times who also had experience fashioning book covers. Sheldon was a concert planner, familiar with running events.

From their collaborative effort and entrepreneurial bravery leapt Frenchtown Bookshop.

The store sits in a refurbished Victorian home that dates to the 1860s. The pair oversaw extensive renovations to open its sightlines: They removed a central staircase and several walls.

The community’s enthusiasm, deWilde reported, has been “so nice to see.”

She shared the ongoing renovations on social media, where followers watched “…as we’ve taken walls down, carted off debris, sanded floors.

“Their enthusiasm was infectious,” she concluded.

More on Frenchtown Bookshop is at Shelf Awareness.