Having recently learned of my granddaughter’s current school project on the states, and her need for postcards from Maine, I decided to travel to Freeport today to the venerable Sherman’s Bookstore (known for their large collection of Maine-related books, cards and associated products) to see whether they would have some postcards suitable for sending to Layla. Upon arriving in Freeport, however, I first stopped at what I thought was Leaping Lizards, a spirituality-oriented gems shop across from Sherman’s on US-1 where I have routinely purchased supplies for my Reiki practice in the past.

I entered the store to be warmly greeted by Tina Durepo, who (I discovered) had only just purchased the shop a couple of months ago and was now in the process of renovating and re-purposing it. It still has gemstones, incense, spirituality-oriented puzzles and games, and (I was pleased to see!) a books section with several rows of spirituality-themed offerings. Knowing that this was once the case, I had planned ahead (so I thought!) and brought two copies of my recent book “I Hope This Helps”, in hopes that I could arrive at some sort of arrangement whereby it could be offered for sale there at the newly-renamed “Gems and Geodes (Mainely Metaphysical)” shop.

Honestly, the best I had hoped for was that Tina would agree to review the book and consider it for inclusion in her inventory. So, imagine my surprise when instead she asked me if I had another six copies in the truck that she could put on her shelves! Sadly, having never expected such an enthusiastic response, I did not — but we nevertheless agreed on a pricing scheme and consignment arrangement with the two copies I had in hand, and I am now a happily-represented author at Gems and Geodes in Freeport!

In addition to books, of course, the shop continues to offer items of interest for gemstone hobbyists, Reiki, tarot and Wiccan practitioners, and those looking for unique and one-of-a-kind gift items. Tina also offers retail space to several Maine creators, not only authors but also quilters and other craftsmen. Here are some views of the shop so you can see what I mean:

Tina informed me that, while the upstairs is still in use by tarot readers and other spiritualists for private sessions, she hopes to soon expand the use of that space to include classes on these and similar subjects as well. It appeared from our conversation that she and I have traveled similar paths in life, and that she, too, had recently written a book in the spirituality realm, called “The Spiritual Awakening of an Analytical Mind”, under the name of Tina L. Moody. As I consider my own mind to be more than a little analytically-oriented, I happily purchased a copy. When she asked me if I, like most authors, had an instagram or Facebook page to promote my book, I told her that, no, what I had was a scooter travel blog. (!) And then she very kindly offered to pose with me for a selfie!

So, I remain super grateful to Tina for accepting my book for retail sale and display, and encourage you in the most enthusiastic terms to visit Gems and Geodes the next time you are in Freeport — it’s just off US-1 on Main Street in Freeport, about a quarter-mile before the LLBean campus at 123 Main Street. You can also visit Tina @gemsandgeodes.maine on Instagram and Facebook. And as for Sherman’s Book Store (also well worth a visit, especially if you are looking for Maine-related books like those detailing the Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park, or various Maine outdoor guides, for example), the manager kindly provided me with the email address of the person who handles Maine authors for Sherman’s, so I will be contacting that person very soon. And I filled my quota of Maine post cards to send to Layla, too!