Our founder, Clare, was raised in South Africa and moved to the U.S. in the early 90s with her family. Her parents instilled a passion for reading at an early age and her mother maintained that mission throughout her life. They hoped that bringing their children to America would open up new opportunities for the future.

After retiring to a small village in Ireland in 1998, Clare’s mother continued with her mission to keep children reading by giving book gift certificates to her nieces and nephews every Christmas. In 2014, her health began to fail and Clare travelled to Ireland to care for her in her last weeks of life.

Upon arrival, Clare's mom was very concerned about the last few certificates remaining that she had been unable to

complete due to her brain tumor. Clare completed her mother’s final gift certificate delivery and remained in Ireland with her until her passing on the morning of March 4.

When Clare returned to New Hampshire, it was evident that the book store she was working for was going to close down after 40 years of business in the community. Devastated by the fact that there would be no more access to books within 60 miles of her home, she went to sleep and had a dream. Her mother came to her in the night and when she awoke, the idea was born. She would endeavor to open a new book and toy shop in the community and name it after the Little Village Book Shop her mother patronized over the years.

On Friday, June 13, 2014- after a huge efforts from both the community and friends- Little Village Toy & Book Shop opened their doors in the hope of offering a warm and caring place for families to enjoy for years to come