Regal House Publishing

Advancing Finely Crafted Literature

Linda K. Sienkiewicz

Dockside Books: An Up North Haven for Thinkers, Adventurers, and Creatives

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By Linda K. Sienkiewicz

I brake for bookstores. Literally. So when my husband and I were driving through Charlevoix in northern Michigan, hunting for fall color, and I spotted Dockside Books tucked among the town’s boutique shops, I knew I had to stop.

Before I stepped inside, I was greeted by the owner, laughing, as she tried to sweep fallen leaves away from the open door. That friendly warmth carried through as I browsed her gorgeous shop and chatted with her.

The bookshop feels like a 1920s parlor designed for lingering. A soda-fountain table and chairs sit in the bay window overlooking Main Street. Two green velvet couches face the large arched window with views of the bridge and harbor. Old leather chairs nestle in a back corner, and the children’s room features seats crafted from dock pilings. Every nook invites you to stay awhile.

Shoppers can sip complimentary coffee while browsing books, art supplies, vinyl records, magazines, and creative odds and ends. “Great books, like great music or art of any medium, have the ability to change our hearts and weave themselves into the fabric of who we are,” owner Julie Bergmann told me. “They make us better humans.”

I think I swooned.

What surprised me most was learning that owning a bookstore had never been part of Julie’s plan. She was finishing her Ph.D. in educational leadership when she heard the town’s only bookstore was closing. Julie’s roots run five generations deep in Charlevoix, and the loss of a bookstore felt personal. The community had given so much to her and her husband over the years, and they began wondering… What if?

A succession of serendipitous events followed that she likens to Santiago’s journey in The Alchemist, where the shepherd boy is searching for hidden treasure only to find something entirely different than the one he was seeking. Julie was retiring from a career in education, her children were grown, and she and her husband had been discussing the importance of a thriving downtown that attracts and supports young professionals and creatives.

And then the perfect space opened in a 1917 building with an original tin ceiling, rich trim, and an enormous brick-lined arched window overlooking the drawbridge, harbor, and park. “Almost instantly,” Julie said, “I could see people enjoying books and coffee on couches in front of that window and tall, cigar-stained bookshelves along the walls. We signed on the line in a hurry.”

Even the shop’s name carries a lovely history. Dockside Books pays homage to the late Bill Ratigan, a beloved Charlevoix local and steamboat captain turned journalist and novelist. Ratigan operated a small used bookstore in a fish shanty called The Dockside Press from the fifties through the Seventies. In the seventies and eighties, Dockside Pharmacy was serving middle and high school students phosphates and milkshakes at its soda fountain counter during open-campus lunch.

Ratigan’s family was honored when Julie and her husband approached them about using the Dockside name. Today, glossy black-and-white photos of both the press and the pharmacy hang on the walls of Dockside Books. The bookstore sits directly in front of Bridge St. Tap Room, and Julie keeps the back door open so patrons can wander freely from “books to beer,” creating an easy neighborhood camaraderie.

Inside the shop, a chalkboard behind the register caught my eye: Classroom Donations, with grade levels and tally marks. A sign beside it read: Ask me about this program! $10 = 1 free book for a child.

As a former teacher and school administrator, Julie is especially passionate about getting books into children’s hands. She works with the local school district to supply low-cost books, but she knows that during school book fairs, some students quietly stand aside because their families can’t afford to purchase a book.

“I wanted every child to have the experience of coming to the bookstore and picking out any book they like, for free,” Julie said. She put up the colorful $10 chalkboard, hoping the community might respond. They set a goal to support every Pre-K through 6th grade classroom and ended up raising enough for more than 350 donated books.

“The gratitude we have for every person who donates is beyond measure,” Julie said. “I wish they could see the expressions on the children’s faces. They simply cannot believe that someone who doesn’t even know them cared that much. This is just another way that independent bookstores are unique—giving back to their local community in ways that make an immediate impact.”

Her customer-centered approach delighted me. Independent booksellers have a better “algorithm” than anything online. Tell them what you love, or what you’re in the mood for, and they’ll hand you something startlingly perfect because they actually know the books. Julie did exactly that for me. Dockside also carries limited editions, signed copies, and special titles you won’t find at chain stores.

Though Dockside Books has been open only six months, the numbers are astonishing. “We’re a 1,200-square-foot store,” Julie said, “and we’ve already put over 11,000 books in customers’ hands. We’re incredibly grateful for the support and warm welcome.”

With their “eyes and nose finally above water,” Julie and her husband are now focusing on building Dockside into a true gathering space—a hub for author events, dialogue, ideas, and creativity. Early events like mahjong classes, author signings, and book clubs have already been a hit.

For Julie, the best part is the daily reminder of how deeply books matter to people. That’s what fuels Dockside Books: reaching out, extending their best selves, and listening to every person who walks through the door.

Find Dockside Books: 204 Bridge St., Charlevoix, MI, United States

Michigan Website: Dockside Books Bookshop

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Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a poet and author whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her debut novel, In the Context of Love, was a finalist for multiple awards including the Hoffer Award and Sarton Women’s Fiction Award. She has five poetry chapbooks and a children’s picture book. Her novel Love and Other Incurable Ailments is forthcoming from Regal House October 27, 2026. Linda volunteers at Neighborhood House, a local nonprofit in Michigan.

Books, Bites, and a Big Dream: Inside Rochester, Michigan’s Charming Indie Bookshop

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by Linda K. Sienkiewicz

When Elliot and Rachel May dreamed of owning businesses, they pictured it ten years out: he’d open a traditional sandwich shop, and she’d have her own bookstore. They didn’t imagine those dreams would come together under one roof in downtown Rochester, Michigan. But when the idea occurred to them, it came together fast.

Their story began in a Ruby Tuesday restaurant where they both worked. Elliot was in radio broadcasting and Rachel was majoring in journalism at Oakland University. That’s when Rachel fell in love with both Rochester and Elliot.

Shortly after they met, Elliot pivoted into a corporate role at Rocket Mortgage, but he never let go of his dream to run a sandwich shop. Ten years in, he decided to enroll in culinary school at Oakland Community College to learn the craft from the ground up.

Meanwhile, Rachel built a successful career in marketing. But as artificial intelligence began reshaping the industry, she considered shifting gears and perhaps revisiting her original love: books.

“For Novel: A Bookstore and Sandwich Shop, the impetus was food,” Rachel says. But she also knew from marketing that cafes inside bookstores tend to thrive because they create multiple revenue streams. That’s if they have a real chef in the kitchen. She had that in Elliot.

The couple began scouting locations in Rochester, which was Rachel’s college-town crush. With its mix of historic charm and contemporary flair, the downtown district boasts over 350 independent businesses from salons to boutiques to award-winning restaurants. When the perfect spot popped up on Main Street, they jumped at the chance. The competition was fierce, but their concept stood out. Rochester hadn’t had an independent bookstore in years. As a writer and reader who lives within walking distance of downtown, I was sadly aware of that fact.

Elliot and Rachel wrote a business plan and submitted their bid. Shortly after, the Mays were renovating a 1907 building that had once been a dentist’s office and later a feed store before a retail space. It had its share of quirks and challenges. “Designing the kitchen was the biggest hurdle,” Rachel says. The couple hired a kitchen designer and an architect. They tore up floors, updated wiring and plumbing, and brought the space up to code.

Meanwhile, Rachel dove headfirst into the world of bookselling. She reached out to other indie bookstore owners and discovered a warm, generous community eager to help. “Booksellers are the kindest people,” she says. They gave her advice on everything from data-driven curation to customer engagement.

I often walk my dog downtown. When I first saw the sign inside the window announcing Novel: a Bookstore and Sandwich Shop was coming, I snapped a photo and excitedly shared it with my literary community. Finally! An indie bookstore! In my town! They opened in November 2025 and, much to my surprise, my husband gave me a gift card from their store for Christmas.

Novel is a cheerful welcoming space where visitors can sip coffee, enjoy a warm sandwich, and browse through thoughtfully curated titles. The layout invites you to linger. You’ll find a huge couch and wide chairs clustered around a coffee table, small café tables in another area, and two plush armchairs at the front. Books line the brightly lit walls and spill into baskets on the floor, many displayed face-out to catch your eye. Children’s and YA books have their own wall. Stuffed animals peek out from the bottom bins of a rustic antique center table. During my visit, two of Elliot and Rachel’s three young children were happily mingling with customers. Elliot paused to read a book to their son, while their daughter enthusiastically “helped” ring up my purchase at the counter.

One stunning feature on the center table is the tall, handmade Tree of Knowledge, which Rachel and a friend crafted from the pages of Britannica encyclopedias. Its leaves flutter from arching branches and the trunk is wrapped in printed pages, making a tactile symbol of the stories and knowledge that fill the shop.

In the café, Elliot crafts one-of-a-kind grilled sandwiches, like the Mortadella Truffle, my personal favorite, layered on artisanal CRUST bread from a local bakery. The cheese in the sandwiches comes from another local shop, The Cheese Lady. The menu also features CRUST pies and bakery, soups, and coffee and cold drinks. This is elevated comfort food with Michigan-made heart.

What sets Novel apart from chain bookstores is the personal connection. “Talking to customers is my passion,” Rachel explains. She recently spoke with someone who claims they read only one book a year because they don’t know what to read anymore. Big box stores are overwhelming with massive displays that often lead to impulse buys and reading letdowns. At Novel, Rachel strives to curate her collection not just from bestseller lists and reviews, but from conversations. She learned from Rochester’s annual sidewalk sale that the community enjoys romance, historical fiction, YA thrillers, and true crime, not necessarily what’s on a list.

To help guide readers, she’s created a “If you like this → try this” shelf and encourages customer-written review cards that are displayed alongside featured books. “I hope to build trust with readers,” she says. Return customers mean everything, and Rachel is delighted to see that happening as Novel is becoming a community hub. Weekly story time for kids is led by local teachers. There are adult book clubs, puzzle nights and game nights. Their recent “Spicy Boozy Book Fair” and “Mystery Boozy Book Fair” events, hosted with Bitter Tom’s Tasting Room just a few doors down, were big hits.

Bookstore: A Bookstore and Sandwich Shop is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a love story of food, books, Rochester, community, and a couple who dared to build something original, meaningful, and warmly unforgettable.

Find them at 307 S. Main Street, Rochester, MI. 48307.

Website: Novel | Sandwiches and Book Store in Rochester, MI.

Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a poet and author whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her debut novel, In the Context of Love, was a finalist for multiple awards including the Hoffer Award and Sarton Women’s Fiction Award. She has five poetry chapbooks and a children’s picture book. Her novel Love and Other Incurable Ailments is forthcoming from Regal House in Fall 2026. Linda volunteers at Neighborhood House, a local nonprofit in Michigan.