I discovered Stephen King books when I was in high school many years ago. I can’t remember which was my first Stephen King novels, perhaps it was The Shining or Carrie or Pet Sematary. But to say that I was hooked from the first page is an understatement. As a Stephen King die-hard fan, I’m quite aware that Bangor is the author’s hometown and the setting of many of his stories. On a road trip back from Prince Edward Island this year, I made a special stop in Bangor to visit a very special bookshop in this idyllic New England town … Gerald Winters and Son, a bookshop specializing in all things Stephen King.

An intended brief stop at the bookshop turned into a delightful 2-3 hour visit. Through pure serendipity, I met and even had a chance to chat that afternoon with Gerald Winters, the owner of the bookstore. Gerald is one of the nicest booksellers I’ve ever met. On the spur of the moment, I asked Gerald if it would be ok to film the bookstore for an episode of the Book Lovers Series. He immediately accepted and even agreed to be interviewed for the film. Here’s the result of my lovely afternoon at Gerald Winters & Son.

I also found out from Gerald that his bookstore’s basement was recently flooded due to a broken pipe and 90% of the shop’s inventory, including valuable rare books and manuscripts, was damaged in the process. When Stephen King himself heard about the unfortunate incidence, he immediately offered to help the bookshop in anyway possible.

Thank you Gerald for your kindness and for graciously agreeing to be in this episode of the Book Lovers Series. I hope to one day soon return to visit your bookstore. What a treasure it is … especially for us Stephen King fans.

Gerald Winters & Son Bookstore
48 Main Street
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 922-2062
Gerald Winters’ Instagram