LINCOLNVILLE — If you are looking for a good book, a new book or a used book, or if you want to sit in a comfortable chair and read from a great selection of Mane authors, Beyond the Sea at 2526 Atlantic Highway in Lincolnville is the place for you.

It's an oasis, a place to relax. Browse excellent books, beautiful greeting cards, hats and scarves, and enjoy sitting in a café right on the salt marsh with exceptional views.

"One of the things I get a big kick out of is — and it doesn't happen all the time — but the men will linger by the door because the women are shopping and then the men will see a book or something that lures them in," said owner Nannette Gionfriddo

Gionfriddo said once the men are in, they are engrossed in the shopping experience upstairs and downstairs, but mostly in the books.

"The women are done and they say, ‘where is my husband, he must be outside,’" she said. "And I say no, he's sitting over there, reading. Men come in here and shop by themselves, but it just makes my day when the women are urging the men along."

Gionfriddo said you don't go there to find a specific book. You go there to find a book you love.

"I printed that up and made pretty little signs and put them around the store," she said. "A customer said that to me one time. I can't compete with Amazon. I do have some of the bestsellers that have just absolute rave reviews, but you know, I don't have Harry Potter. You can go online and probably get it for less then I can pay for it."

"For every single book we have, I research the reader reviews," she said. "And it has to have excellent reader reviews and it has to have something compelling. With most of our new books I'll print the reader reviews. Even though it's a great book, it might not suit your taste."

Gionfriddo has the work of many Maine authors in the store.

"A little more then 50 percent of the books in the store are from Maine publishers," she said. 

The cafe at Beyond the Sea serves meatball subs and hot pastrami subs. Its Italian subs are all Italian cold cuts with zesty toppings. Plus, she cooks soups and stews; chili con carne and potato leek soup are her best sellers.

And, she makes vegetarian and gluten- free sandwiches, soups and stews as well.
Everything is made here except for two little items we have made out. All the soups and stews and casseroles are made here.

"I never cooked until my early 20s when I got a job as mess cook on the Stephen Taber,” she said. The next year I went to the schooner Mary Day as cook. I love to eat and I knew how I wanted my food to be, I just didn't know how to get there.

"I went home and told my family, ‘hey Hattie Hawkins has hired me as cook and I'm going to spend this winter working on recipes that will work on the schooner and be very reliable and yummy,’" she said. "My family didn't tell me until after I had sailed and was successful that they were horrified for me. They were so afraid because I had never cooked. I ate, I ate, I ate, but never cooked. I remember I wanted to have French toast one morning and so I asked what the recipe for French toast was. They were horrified. It worked, I pulled it off, but that winter it was all new to me."

Gionfriddo said business success is about listening to the customers, knowing what's good, and what they like. And, it's all about striving for perfection.

Beyond the Sea is open through Christmas Eve. Gionfriddo said she will be open half day on Christmas Eve for those last-minute shoppers.

Beyond the Sea is closed on Sundays and Mondays and open Tuesday through Saturday, but starting in December they'll open seven day a week for everyone's convenience.

Gionfriddo said they'll be closed after Christmas Eve, but will open again in April. She said they shoot for April, but as we all know, it will be whenever Mother Nature says they can.