Exploring a New Community Corner in Tiverton

Photograph courtesy of the Yellow House bookstore

When Jai-Lee Egna moved from New York to Tiverton with partner Vinney Cavallo in 2018, it was a challenge to meet their neighbors. It wasn’t until starting her business venture six years later — opening The Yellow House, the only independent bookstore in town — that she began making meaningful connections in her community.

Though she didn’t have a background in bookselling, the venture is rooted in a love for “books, curation and the exploration of new ideas,” she says, as well as a desire to “contribute an additional gathering space and opportunity for connection.”

When the historic Benjamin F. Seabury House (c. 1840) went on the market in 2024, Egna saw it as the natural home for her bookshop.

“We love historic homes, and Tiverton Four Corners owes its character to the incredible preservation work lovingly pursued by local heroes,” she says. “It is an honor for our business to carry on that legacy.”

The new owners made no major changes to the 186-year-old building, so its modern use feels like an ode to the businesses it once housed during the nineteenth century. If not for the wall-to-wall shelves of books, the mismatched display tables, well-placed decor and art clustered over the fireplace would give the impression that an artist with an appreciation for history lived here. The truth isn’t too far off: Egna has a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Vermont and a career — photo and video production — that requires aesthetic precision.

While the retail space is limited, that doesn’t necessarily mean a limited variety. The Yellow House sells fiction, nonfiction, art books, cookbooks, children’s books and a selection of art, stationery and gifts.

The bookstore is the state’s only letter-keeper from The Sunday Letter Project, an initiative that encourages connection via handwritten letters. A handful of introductory letters from people hoping to find pen pals are available to leaf through; if you find one you resonate with, you take a picture of the letter and reply on your own time, leaving it for others to read and possibly reply to.

The recently added Corner Bar, which makes use of a room off the main retail floor and serves beer, wine, nonalcoholic beverages and premade snacks, was something Egna envisioned from the beginning.

“Standing around the book shelves during retail hours is a fine way to chit chat,” she says, “but having a cozy place to sit with a glass of wine and a few friends really rounds out the ‘third space’ resource that we’ve been encouraged to see enjoyed by regulars and visitors alike.”

The addition allows more people to take part in the store’s frequent events, like author talks, book signings, art workshops and book club meetings.

In the face of convenient online shopping, what continues to bring customers to The Yellow House is curation, which Egna describes as “an act of real human connection” that you can’t get from an algorithm.

“Our happiest customers’ feedback reveals that what they enjoy the most is the sense of discovery,” she says. “They come across a little treasure in a nook, or find a book they didn’t know they would love until they pick it up.”

In Rhode Island especially, our culture of disconnection — like our reluctance to drive anywhere longer than fifteen minutes — means we have to work harder to meet one another. But, if we can make the drive, an independent bookstore like The Yellow House can help us feel a little less isolated and a little more human. theyellowhouseri.com