One of the saddest parts of being a Spy editor for so long is having to write obituaries for beloved downtown businesses as they come and go. None leave me bluer than saying goodbye to the independent bookstores of the Mid-Shore.
When I started the Chestertown Spy in 2009, the town had three thriving bookstores. Today, only one remains, The Bookplate, thanks to the sustained leadership of its owner, Tom Martin.
The first to go was Corsica Books, which opened in Chestertown as a branch of its greatly beloved Centreville “flagship” store. This was where one picked up the latest New York Times bestseller, along with thoughtfully selected works of fiction, poetry and, of course, cookbooks. More importantly, it was where one could find the latest book by a recent Washington College lecturer.
The second was Gerry Cataldo’s Old Book Company, which the Spy highlighted many times. Someone could walk in on a Saturday afternoon and discover a first edition of The Catcher in the Rye while also finding one of the beautifully produced books published by Gerry and Chestertown Spy publisher Jim Dissette. Among those was Homer’s The Odyssey, which we revisited a few weeks ago amid Hollywood’s renewed interest in the classic.
The same sad fate eventually befell the News Center in Easton, shortly after I became editor of the Talbot Spy. From the outside, it might have looked like a Hallmark card store, but its 10,000 square feet also housed a serious bookstore. Local and nationally known authors gave readings there, while its staff carefully selected books to meet the interests of an increasingly sophisticated community of readers.
During those years, the Spy also began working with Mystery Loves Company in Oxford. Kathy Harig had realized her dream of owning a bookstore in 1990 and moved Mystery Loves Company from Baltimore’s Fells Point to Oxford in 2004. There, she transformed the historic bank building beside Oxford Park into her personal temple to the mystery genre.
If you knew Kathy, the move wouldn’t have surprised you. A trained librarian who spent much of her career at Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, she had devoted her adult life to books and possessed the charming idiosyncrasies that make independent bookstores so much fun. She would inevitably sit in a chair beside the cash register, offering endless commentary on new releases and recommending where newcomers should begin. She also served for several years on the Talbot County Free Library’s board of trustees, work that grew naturally out of the same devotion.
Over the years, the Spy worked closely with Kathy. We interviewed many of the writers she supported, promoted their books, covered their appearances, and watched as Mystery Loves Company became an important gathering place for writers and readers from across the Eastern Shore and well beyond.
One of our last projects with Kathy was an interview with the hugely popular Baltimore author Laura Lippman, who was coming to Oxford to promote her latest book. A signing and reception were held at Doc’s, and the sight of more than 200 fans arriving from near and far was stunning evidence that Kathy knew her audience.
In the years following that event, author appearances became less frequent. Mystery Loves Company had always kept limited weekday hours, but during my trips to Oxford I began to notice that it was no longer open even on weekends, the prime time for visitors and book buyers.
Kathy Harig died on April 11, 2025, at the age of 78, with her husband of 55 years, Thomas, at her side. Her obituary, published by the Star Democrat, appeared that May, and a memorial service and celebration of her life were held in Oxford that spring.
And yet it took me far too long to learn any of this. I discovered it the way one learns the truth in a mystery novel, by stumbling upon a small clue and working backward. A faded notice still taped inside the window of the shuttered bookstore told me that Kathy Harig had died.
For a woman who spent her life making sure her readers never missed a good story, it seems fitting, and a little sad, that the final chapter of her own life had to be pieced together in much the same way.
Obituaries for bookstores rarely end happily, and this one is no exception. In an age dominated by Amazon and e-books, it seems unlikely that another Kathy Harig will appear to reopen Mystery Loves Company and carry on her work.
Still, I hope Oxford finds a way to honor Kathy’s contribution as the historic bank building that housed Mystery Loves Company begins its next chapter. Her bookstore may be gone, but the remarkable community of writers and readers she created should not be allowed to fade away with the notice in the window.
