We caught up with Hillary Smith this week! She shares what inspired her to open her bookstore, Black Walnut Books, where to get the best curry, her favorite stores to browse at The Shirt Factory, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
I’m Hillary Smith, the owner of Black Walnut Books and Little Black Walnut Books. I have been a bookseller for over 15 years and started my own bookstore, Black Walnut Books, in 2021 as an online and pop-up shop. I focus on books by Indigenous, queer and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) authors. I also love stickers, notecards and little gifts, so I have a lot of those too!
In 2022 I was a vendor at The Shirt Factory’s Holiday Open House, and I fell in love with the building and its awesome community of small business owners and artists. I was able to rent a studio there and opened my brick and mortar store in March of 2023.
This March I opened Little Black Walnut Books, a children’s bookstore, down the hall from my original store. It’s been great to have a dedicated space for kids to come and read, play and just enjoy!
I love partnering with other local businesses and non-profits (it’s one of my favorite things). I co-host book clubs with The Wood Theater, Beldame Books and Adirondack Pottery. I have partnered with Lower Adirondack Pride to throw regular pride mixers at The Shirt Factory. Beldame Books, Gifts of Nyx and I team up for awesome Boozy Book Fairs at Mean Max and Adirondack Winery.
On Life In and Around Glens Falls
I grew up in Northern California and have also lived in Southwest Colorado. My partner is originally from the Schuylerville / Saratoga area. When we were looking at potential places to settle down, we really fell in love with Glens Falls. It’s such a sweet little town and I love that you have the Adirondacks in your backyard, but are also just a few hours away from Montreal, Boston and NYC.
We moved here 2 and a half years ago and never plan to leave. We live about 15 minutes outside of town. We bought a sweet little house that the previous owners built. I love that it’s close enough to town that my commute feels easy, but that I still get to have mountain views and the woods as a backyard. We have two dogs, two cats and 10 chickens and they all love it too!
My favorite thing about Glens Falls is how friendly everyone is and how, for a fairly small town, there is always so much to do! There are so many community events and awesome small businesses and local non-profits, it is such a dynamic place.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My perfect day would start with a walk in Cole’s Woods; it is so gorgeous all year long and I love that it is right in town. Then I would head over to Sweet Rice for lunch, where they have the most delicious curry. After lunch I would head to The Shirt Factory for some shopping. My favorite stores to browse are Barn and Brick, Sweetside Records and Beldame Books. I can spend hours perusing their shelves.
I’d pop into Rock Hill Bake House to grab my signature double shot of espresso over ice in my Adirondack Pottery mug that I always have in my bag. Then I’d stroll downtown for a cocktail and dinner at Craft on 9. I love bringing a book to read at the bar.
On the Past
Since I am still pretty new to the area, I don’t have much of a past in Glens Falls. I do love hearing from locals about how it has grown and changed over time. It is really amazing getting to work and live in such a historic place. I do, however, already have so many amazing memories here and can’t wait to build up a lifetime of them.
On the Future
I would love it if we had a little art supply and stationery store. I sell a fair amount of that type of thing at the bookstore, but I love getting to go to a shop where they are really knowledgeable and passionate about, you know, the specific qualities of different pens.
