Novelist Brenda Haas, left, and Millie Magoo’s bookstore owner, Traci Richards, will host a ribbon cutting on May 30. (Submitted photo)

LAKESIDE – Lakeside will see an uptick in all that is bookish this summer, beginning with the May 30 celebratory grand opening of Millie Magoo’s & The Fine Print bookstore and the book release of a debut Lake Erie novel by local writer Brenda Haas. The ribbon cutting begins at 10 a.m. at the new shop located at 229 Walnut Ave., on Walnut Plaza in Lakeside. Festivities will include family-friendly activities throughout the day.

“I am thrilled to continue the bookstore tradition here in Lakeside Marblehead,” said Millie Magoo’s owner, Traci Richards. “We are the only bookstore in all of Ottawa County. Our new location is larger, so we are increasing the amount of inventory and plan to stay open year-round both in person and online through our relationships with Libro.fm and Bookshop.org. This allows us to cater to our community and its needs.”

According to Richards, Lakeside has had an operating bookstore, in various locations, since 1881. Millie Magoo’s seems right at home in its newly-renovated space, a 1930s cottage which previously housed an antique store and sold stone statuaries from its porch. The project of “bringing new life” to the property involved refinishing original floors and light fixtures, all new electric and adding a fresh coat of paint inside and out. The end result includes two floors of fun for all ages, with a broad mix of fiction and nonfiction for preschool and up. In addition to national bestsellers and classics, Millie Magoo’s offers games, puzzles, art supplies and other fun discoveries. Richards also has a plan to create a future, flexible gathering space.

Debut author Brenda Haas will also be on-site, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for an author signing to coincide with the May 30 “Book Birthday” and official release of her traditionally published Lake Erie novel, Finding Sutton’s Choice, which is set in Lakeside where both Richards and Haas reside.

“If someone had told me a year ago that I would soon debut my small-town story set in my own backyard, and that there would be a place for it on a shelf of Lakeside’s bookstore, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Haas, a past Pittsburgh reporter and current freelance writer for local media and nonprofits. “Reading provides the base for just about everything we do as humans. Traci has been a wonderful partner in this process, and it makes my heart happy to see this independent bookstore blossom and thrive. It’s cute as a button. My novel couldn’t have found a better home.”

The story about complicated parent-child relationships, failing mental health (Alzheimer’s disease, specifically), and the domino effect family choices have on who we become features a quirky cast of characters and many regional references. A portion of the book’s pre-order and in-person sales, through May 31, will benefit the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation.

“It is an honor to be launching Brenda’s book in conjunction with the opening of the store,” said Richards. “I could not have asked for a better scenario, and everybody has been so supportive and welcoming of this partnership she and I have created.”

Haas is available for book signings, writing workshops and book club discussions. For a full book synopsis and author details, visit brendahaas.com. Orders may be placed via Millie Magoo’s & The Fine Print, 567-366-6460, or directly through ten16press.com, ISBN: 9781645382386.

Millie Magoo’s & The Fine Print is located at 229 Walnut Avenue, inside Lakeside, Ohio’s business district. Free two-hour shopping and dining passes, free parking on the corner of N. Erie Beach Rd. and E. Northshore Blvd., and free golf cart shuttles are available from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You can also support the store by purchasing books and e-books online through bookshop.org/shop/milliemagoos and audiobooks at libro.fm/milliemagoos. Visit www.milliemagoos.com for more information.