Keeping it local: Ice cream vendor scoops up Bridgeside Books

September 19, 2020  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Bridgeside Books founder Hiata Corduan (left) will hand off the keys to the shop she's run for 11 years to Katya d'Angelo (right) and her husband Chris Triolo. Courtesy photo.

When Bridgeside Books owner Hiata Corduan put out the word this summer that she was looking to sell her 11-year-old independent bookstore, she was prepared to spend a year or even more to find a buyer. 

Almost immediately, however, she had bites. “I had over 30 inquiries from all over the country -- Alaska, Colorado, New York City, Massachusetts, Connecticut. Some from Vermont,” she said Friday. 

But, as it turned out, Corduan didn’t need to look any further than just down the street. “I found somebody local,” she said. 

Followers of the bookstore and a particular popular ice cream cart on three wheels caught the news Thursday afternoon on social media: “What do books and ice cream have in common? I love both!” wrote Katya d’Angelo, owner of the popular summertime ice cream tricycle called The Udder Guys in a Facebook post saying she and her husband Chris Triolo “will soon be the new owners and caretakers” of Bridgeside. “We are thrilled to continue the wonderful business Hiata has so lovingly built over the past 11 years.” 

d’Angelo has spent the past three summers serving up ice cream cones from the compact tricycle cart alongside The Reservoir restaurant, a stone’s throw from the bookstore. This summer with road construction literally underfoot, they switched up their routine to split their time between that corner and Waterbury Center. 

The bookstore opportunity came at what they hope will be a good time. “During a pandemic or not, during a recession or not, buying a business is a risk,” d’Angelo said. 

The couple moved to Waterbury from the Boston area a little over five years ago and has put down roots. Triolo has a business degree and works in computer software project management; d’Angelo works in marketing at Boundless Journeys adventure travel. Together they are The Udder Guys scooping up cones of Adirondack Creamery ice cream from Memorial Day to Labor Day, an endeavor they plan to continue next summer. 

Committing to taking on running an independent bookstore reflects the roots they have put down in the community -- d’Angelo for example is on the Planning Commission and Revitalizing Waterbury board of directors. They also live around the corner from the shop. 

“It’s easy to be involved here, to know your neighbors. Waterbury is a place full of lovely people. We didn’t have that in suburban Boston. It was the lifestyle change we wanted,” d’Angelo said. 

Taking over from Corduan who has built a loyal following, curated inventory, and a reputation as a community gathering place felt doable even in a pandemic when the public is doing less in-person shopping, d’Angelo explained. “It’s an established business,” she said. “And we will have Hiata’s expertise going into it.” 

The business sale is still in the works with a purchase agreement in place and a closing anticipated by mid- to late October. Corduan plans to stay on for a transition period that starts now with d’Angelo planning to spend a few hours a week in the shop now asking questions and taking notes. 

For Corduan, having eager new owners to hand off to was just what she hoped for. “I was prepared for this to take awhile,” she said. “There was no possibility I would ever close this. … It was my dream to open a bookstore and it became above and beyond what I could have ever imagined.” 

Making the decision to move on from running the shop began last summer, Corduan said, but talks with an initial potential buyer ended earlier this year as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. Bridgeside closed for 10 weeks during which time Corduan shifted much of her focus online and scaled back the physical space she occupies at the corner of Stowe Street and Bidwell Lane. 

After reopening this summer and settling into the new routine of masks, sanitizing, and limiting the number of patrons in the store Corduan put the word out through independent bookseller networks, social media and word of mouth. 

d’Angelo said she and Triolo hope to pick up where Corduan leaves off, keeping the shop in its smaller profile for now as they hope business gradually resumes going into the holidays. They have some ideas for new things to try that actually come from the pandemic. For example, people staying close to home have been spending time doing puzzles and playing games. 

“Chris is really into tabletop games. We see an opportunity to introduce people to fun, light-strategy games like Settlers of Catan,” d’Angelo said. “There’s no place to find games around here.”

Returning tea to the shop is another idea they’re exploring. Bridgeside carried Vermont Liberty Tea for some time and d’Angelo said she’d like to offer tea again. 

Saying she’s an avid non-fiction reader, d’Angelo said she’s also looking forward to learning the details of the bookselling business. “We have so much to learn,” she said. “But isn’t that what books and reading is all about? Exploring the world and things you want to learn more about.” 

Meanwhile Corduan is looking forward to taking some time to recharge once the handoff is complete this fall. She has been thinking of her next business venture for over a year and admits that her ideas have evolved as the pandemic wears on this year. 

She recalls a brief foray into retail home furnishings that she did alongside Bridgeside Books a few years ago and says she would like to move in the direction of vintage and upcycled home goods next spring. 

A year ago though, she imagined a brick-and-mortar store. Now the idea of selling online and through pop-up events seems like a better way to begin. “I’ve been doing some creative thinking. It’s a scary time but it does lend itself to creative thinking,” Corduan said. “We’re all getting used to trying new things and having new ways of doing things.” 

d’Angelo echoed that sentiment. “We don’t know what the future will bring. Nobody does. We will make a go of it - and we’ll have fun!” she said. “We’re pretty excited. .. We ask the regulars to be patient as we learn.”