White Hot Spotlight: Lacy Simons of hello hello

Lacy Simons is the new owner of hello hello, known currently to all as Rock City Books in Rockland. When it re-emerges as hello hello, it will offer used, new and bargain books, magazines, art & craft, gifts and select vintage items. For correctly identifying the photo of "Big G's" in our “How Well Do You Know Midcoast Maine?” photo contest, Lacy gets The White Hot Spotlight this month.

Q: Lacy, everyone knows you as our resident book reviewer in thescene. What are some things people don't know about you--the "known unknowns" as Donald Rumsfeld so aptly coined.

A: A few things spring to mind:

1. I lived in a tent on Ballyhac Cove when I first moved to the Midcoast in 2003.
2. Around the time I graduated from high school, the woman who’d been my elementary school librarian told me she’d had to institute lending limits for book borrowers because I habitually took so many books out at once.
3. The band I’m always pretending to be in covers The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” at every show we play.

Q: You've shown us some interesting departures from the typical used bookstore these past few years (apocalyptic events, alternative music, etc)--when will Rock City Books and Coffee officially make its transformation and what's your vision for the direction of hello hello?

A: The official transition will happen in mid-May, and if all goes as planned, hello hello will operate adjacent to Rock City (which will become Rock City Café)—under the same roof but in an area all its own. This will allow for both the books and coffee synergy we’ve always loved about Rock City and a more focused, dedicated space for easier browsing and immersion in the world of hello hello.

My vision is to continue much of what’s worked well at Rock City Books—quality used books, trade credit system, community involvement, awesome shared events, a lively sense of humor—and expand the selection of unusual new books; offer broader rewards for trading in great used books; add some great magazines we’re missing out on locally; offer more art, craft and gift items; and develop a stronger web presence and functionality. It’s a lofty goal, but within a relatively small square footage I’ll be trying to emphasize quality rather than quantity and appeal to a broad variety of interests (for serious and not-so-serious readers alike!)

Q: You and Jared Paradee are also founders of kitchi-kitchy, which makes "tiny little oddities" such as shadow boxes & dioramas, typewritten poems and vintage items. Do you intend for hello hello to provide a physical space for the nontraditional artists as well?

A: Absolutely. We’ll function as a space to display and sell nontraditional forms of art & craft, including (but not at all limited to) kitchi-kitchy’s work. This will fluctuate, given our limited space, but I’m dedicated to mixing it up!

Q: Quick: what is your favorite urban dictionary word?

A: Squizzle? Is that even a word? If not, I’ll add it. Right after I figure out what it means.

For more information on hello hello’s trade credit system for used books, email Lacy at hellohellobooks@gmail.com

To see their latest writeup in The Portland Press Herald click here