Some people never learn. People like Jon Strymish. Just a few months after selling the New England Mobile Book Fair, the Newton bookstore owned by his family for over 50 years, Strymish and two partners have plans to open another bookstore, this one in Portsmouth, N.H. “I guess I’m not very bright,” joked Strymish. “I don’t know anything else.” He’s working withDavid Lovelace and John Petrovato to create Portsmouth Book and Bar. As the name suggests, the 2,800-square-foot bookstore will have a bar and feature occasional live entertainment. “We’ve taken a hard look at bookselling’s future,” the group explained in its application to the city. “Great titles are not enough. Pretty views are not enough. Frankly a good cup of coffee isn’t enough. So we’ve added beer, wine, and sophisticated snacks. . . . We promise to push past the all-too-familiar hybrid of stale muffins and paperbacks and create bookstore cafe with an old-world ambience — a literary salon offering espresso, craft beers, wine, and creative small plates. There will be no Formica, no paperback pulp, no french fries.” But why Portsmouth? “Because it’s groovy and there’s a lot of foot traffic,” Strymish said. “But groovy is the key.” (He also signed a non-compete agreement with Tom Lyons, the new owner of the New England Mobile Book Fair, which prohibits him from opening a store within 60 miles of Newton.) Lovelace and Petrovato are not new to the business. They are former owners of the Montague Bookmill, and Petrovato also owns Raven Used Books in Harvard Square. (Interestingly, the current owner of the Montague Bookmill is screenwriter Susan Shilliday, whose credits include “Legends of the Fall” and several episodes of “thirtysomething.”) With a little luck, Strymish said, the new place will be open around Labor Day.

http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-30/names/31897626_1_bookstore-paperbacks-new-owner