08/14/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐โ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ
Every historic place deserves a guardian.
Ours just happens to be an Ent. ๐ณ
If you stroll past Broad Street Books and see someone standing quietly in front of a young treeโadmiring it, talking to it, even resting a hand on its trunkโdonโt think twice.
Itโs probably me.
When Ethan and I decided to plant a new tree in front of the bookstore, we werenโt looking for landscaping. We were looking for something that would still be standing long after we are gone. Something that could quietly become part of Branchvilleโs living story.
That search led us to Cerboโs Hampton Nursery, where Tony Cerbo walked us through his familyโs trees with the patience of someone who understands that choosing a tree is never just about choosing a tree.
We werenโt selecting an ornament.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฐ๐.
Then we met an ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ (๐๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ).
Strong. Resilient. Graceful.
A tree known for thriving in town settings, adapting to the seasons, and rewarding autumn with gold, orange, and crimson.
It felt right for a bookstore housed in Branchvilleโs historic First National Bank buildingโa place where old stories are preserved and new ones are discovered every day.
Its name came just as naturally:
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ, because every memorable tree deserves a proper name.
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ผ, in honor of the family who nurtured it from its earliest days.
๐๐ถ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ, because Ethan and I now have the privilegeโand the responsibilityโof caring for it for generations of readers still to come.
Names tell stories.
Book lovers understand that better than most.
And because Ethan and I have been lifelong admirers of Tolkien, I couldnโt resist imagining Maple as our own gentle Entโa quiet guardian watching over the readers, conversations, friendships, and stories that pass through our doors.
So Maple has acquired a nickname:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ.
Of course, every guardian needs companions.
Greeting visitors at our entrance are ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ, our concrete library lions. Their names honor the beloved lions of the New York Public Library, renamed by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia during the Great Depression to remind people of the qualities they would need to endure hard times.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ.
Two virtues that have served readers well for generations.
Now they stand alongside their newest friend.
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐.
๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
๐ง๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
And, I hope, many more chapters ๐ still to be written.
Years from now, todayโs new releases will become yesterdayโs classics. Children who visit the bookstore today may one day return with children of their own. Seasons will turn. Books will be read, loved, donated, and discovered again.
Through it all, I hope Maple Cerbo DiStefanoโthe ๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒโcontinues to grow, offering shade to readers, beauty to our corner of Branchville, and a quiet reminder that the most meaningful things in life are rarely built overnight.
They are planted. ๐ฑ
They are cared for. ๐ฆ
They are shared. โจ
Our heartfelt thanks to Tony Cerbo and his family, Frank Sutton, Mike Clune, the Branchville Road Crew, Mayor Frato, and our Borough Council.
Together, they didnโt simply help plant a tree.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐.
So the next time you visit, pause for a moment before you come inside.
Say hello to Maple Cerbo DiStefano. ๐๐ฝ
Visit Patience and Fortitude. ๐ฆ๐ฆ
Take a photograph. ๐ธ
Read beneath the branches if you like. ๐
And know that, in one small corner of Branchville, three quiet guardians are keeping watch over a place where stories have always found a home.
๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
Writing this down felt riskier than I expected.
It is one thing to plant a tree. It is another to put into words why it mattersโto admit how much hope we are investing in something that will outlast us, and how much we want this little corner of Branchville to keep growing stories long after we are gone.
Vulnerability on the page is still bravery, even when the stakes feel small.
If you have a story about this town, a tree, a place that held you, or a moment that rooted you hereโconsider writing it down.
You donโt have to be perfect.
You only have to be willing.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต. ๐ณ
๐ Broad Street Books ยท Branchville, NJ
Cerbo's Hampton Nursery LLC. Broad Street Books Branchville NJ
