We are proud to say that Carrie was a beloved Cardthartic Retail Partner for nearly a dozen years. She opened Novel Destination Used Book Emporium in Jamestown, NY, in 2011, after retiring from a career in nursing. She loved every minute in the shop until closing day July 1, 2023.
Carrie’s thoughtfulness first caught our attention back in 2021 when our dear Cardie Oma Hannlis was nearing the end of her 98 years. In a kind note to Hannlis, Carrie wrote, “I was reading The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku (a concentration camp survivor who is 101) when your touching story on friendship arrived. The enclosed quilt was made by a friend’s loving hands. My friend is bipolar and her husband recently had a bad fall, so I commissioned several quilts to help her with bills, and so I could spread some love. I hope you enjoy it, but feel free to share it on. Take good care, Hannlis!”
Then in the summer of ‘23, we proudly published the great card 94146 authored by Carrie. The card message actually began as a line in a lovely note Carrie had sent our founder Jodee after reading this Cardie Newsletter about friends supporting each other through illness. We loved her words and, while working on the summer 2023 release, emailed her asking permission to publish them with the charming image Photo Editor Luda had found. Carrie responded, “Oh my. Oh my. Oh-oh-oh-my … I am stunned. I am honored. And the serendipity of this arriving as I am trying to sort both personal and business changes into some magical life brew that will nourish my family, those I feel responsible for, and myself, is not lost on me!”
She later explained, “As my 62nd birthday and the second anniversary of my life partner Brian’s death from Covid draw near, I find myself considering what makes sense for my future. I have been packing my lunch and taking time off to fit everyone else’s agenda for over 40 years now, so I am looking forward to freedom to do more of my own thing. I also believe I can be more useful in my community as a willing volunteer, so I’ve announced a sell-off in June.”
Carrie purchased 52 wooded acres in Pennsylvania that the previous owners called The Ranch. Her dear dog “Walt and I go for walks, my sons are clearing trails so we’ll be able to see the wildflowers, snakes and frogs or salamander egg masses. We throw seed for the birds, turkey, and deer. I am watching for turtles. The Ranch is the reason the card image is so very meaningful to me!!!”
Looking back to 2011 when she’d just retired from nursing, Carrie said, “I thought the community needed a book shop. I love books so I was happy to be surrounded by them.” At Novel Destination, she stocked around 30,000 hand-picked, used books.
“When people came in, I wanted them to feel welcome and leave with positive, uplifting thoughts,” she said. “Now I want to be able to do that somewhere in the community … there are lots of places in need if people are well enough to help.”
“I loved being able to put the right book in the right hands,” she said. “I loved hearing, ‘That’s my favorite book, I’ve been looking for it for years,’ Or, ‘I have books two, three and five in this series, and you have one and four, so now I can read the whole series in order.’
“I love learning, and reading books allows me to learn about people and places that I never would’ve had a chance to know about,” she said. “It’s my hobby and my comfort, and you can take them wherever you go. Books are also forgiving — you can put them away and take them out again years later and the story is just as good, if not better.”
As closing time drew near, we asked Carrie how she was feeling and here’s what she said … “People are lining up to share stories of what my shop meant to them … getting final hugs, a last treat from the candy dish, exchanging contact information, etc. I have been surprised that people of all ages and personal identifiers have cried openly. I love the three and four-generation families sharing books of all types — teasing each other about their choices or getting ‘dreamy-eyed’ and wistful because the shared read was just that wonderful and they had not expected the others to suggest such a title.
“What a bittersweet ending it has been. My choice. My time. Still not simple for my heart and soul — anymore than retiring from my nursing career.” How fun it will be to see what’s next for — and from! — Contributing Cardie Carrie Wolfgang.
Design with Message by Carrie
We are proud to say that Carrie was a beloved Cardthartic Retail Partner for nearly a dozen years. She opened Novel Destination Used Book Emporium in Jamestown, NY, in 2011, after retiring from a career in nursing. She loved every minute in the shop until closing day July 1, 2023.
Carrie’s thoughtfulness first caught our attention back in 2021 when our dear Cardie Oma Hannlis was nearing the end of her 98 years. In a kind note to Hannlis, Carrie wrote, “I was reading The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku (a concentration camp survivor who is 101) when your touching story on friendship arrived. The enclosed quilt was made by a friend’s loving hands. My friend is bipolar and her husband recently had a bad fall, so I commissioned several quilts to help her with bills, and so I could spread some love. I hope you enjoy it, but feel free to share it on. Take good care, Hannlis!”
Then in the summer of ‘23, we proudly published the great card 94146 authored by Carrie. The card message actually began as a line in a lovely note Carrie had sent our founder Jodee after reading this Cardie Newsletter about friends supporting each other through illness. We loved her words and, while working on the summer 2023 release, emailed her asking permission to publish them with the charming image Photo Editor Luda had found. Carrie responded, “Oh my. Oh my. Oh-oh-oh-my … I am stunned. I am honored. And the serendipity of this arriving as I am trying to sort both personal and business changes into some magical life brew that will nourish my family, those I feel responsible for, and myself, is not lost on me!”
She later explained, “As my 62nd birthday and the second anniversary of my life partner Brian’s death from Covid draw near, I find myself considering what makes sense for my future. I have been packing my lunch and taking time off to fit everyone else’s agenda for over 40 years now, so I am looking forward to freedom to do more of my own thing. I also believe I can be more useful in my community as a willing volunteer, so I’ve announced a sell-off in June.”
Carrie purchased 52 wooded acres in Pennsylvania that the previous owners called The Ranch. Her dear dog “Walt and I go for walks, my sons are clearing trails so we’ll be able to see the wildflowers, snakes and frogs or salamander egg masses. We throw seed for the birds, turkey, and deer. I am watching for turtles. The Ranch is the reason the card image is so very meaningful to me!!!”
Looking back to 2011 when she’d just retired from nursing, Carrie said, “I thought the community needed a book shop. I love books so I was happy to be surrounded by them.” At Novel Destination, she stocked around 30,000 hand-picked, used books.
“When people came in, I wanted them to feel welcome and leave with positive, uplifting thoughts,” she said. “Now I want to be able to do that somewhere in the community … there are lots of places in need if people are well enough to help.”
“I loved being able to put the right book in the right hands,” she said. “I loved hearing, ‘That’s my favorite book, I’ve been looking for it for years,’ Or, ‘I have books two, three and five in this series, and you have one and four, so now I can read the whole series in order.’
“I love learning, and reading books allows me to learn about people and places that I never would’ve had a chance to know about,” she said. “It’s my hobby and my comfort, and you can take them wherever you go. Books are also forgiving — you can put them away and take them out again years later and the story is just as good, if not better.”
As closing time drew near, we asked Carrie how she was feeling and here’s what she said … “People are lining up to share stories of what my shop meant to them … getting final hugs, a last treat from the candy dish, exchanging contact information, etc. I have been surprised that people of all ages and personal identifiers have cried openly. I love the three and four-generation families sharing books of all types — teasing each other about their choices or getting ‘dreamy-eyed’ and wistful because the shared read was just that wonderful and they had not expected the others to suggest such a title.
“What a bittersweet ending it has been. My choice. My time. Still not simple for my heart and soul — anymore than retiring from my nursing career.” How fun it will be to see what’s next for — and from! — Contributing Cardie Carrie Wolfgang.
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