The City of Portsmouth, an Antiquarian Bookshop Owner, and the Property Owner are in a Three-Way Tug of War. It Doesn't Look Great for the Bookshop Owner.
- by Michael Stillman
The Antiquarian Bookstore, “closed” sign on the door.
Every community has its local eccentric. There's nothing terribly wrong with them, and they certainly aren't dangerous, they're just a little different. That could describe Walter Wakefield, proprietor of the Antiquarian Bookstore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wakefield is 78-years-old and has been in business for a long time, apparently since 1973. His store is closed now, the city wants him shut down, and the owner of the property wants him out. It used to be Wakefield's property, but was foreclosed several years ago. The property is in violation of several zoning laws. It doesn't help that outside of his business he has 21 unregistered vehicles he uses for storing books. But, Wakefield is not going gently into the good night. He has a claimed 250,000 books to tend to. He just wishes the authorities would leave him alone so he can conduct his business.
If you read reviews of this shop going back several years, you'll find a wide difference of opinion. For some, it is a crowded, musty-smelling place with no room to move around. The owner is a crotchety old man who might not even let you in, even if you accede to his demand to pay $5 just to enter. He can be insulting, bigoted, and quite unpleasant. To others, the place is a treasure chest filled with wonders, somewhere you can get lost looking at all the books. The shop and its owner are unique and charming in their own special way. What no one says is that it is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill bookshop. It is an experience you may or may not ever want to relive.
According WHOM FM, Wakefield has been racking up fines of $275 a day for the 21 unregistered vehicles. However, it is not Wakefield who is in violation. It's the owner of the property that owes the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The owner is a MMCT Realty, a company that purchased it in a foreclosure sale in 2019. However, they haven't been able to get Wakefield to comply either. The city really doesn't want to collect the fines. They just want Wakefield to register the vehicles or remove them. He just ignores everyone's demands. The Portsmouth Herald quoted Wakefield as saying he is being persecuted by city officials. As to whether there is a solution to his differences with city, they quoted him as saying “the only real practical solution is by extermination, exterminating my life.”
MMCT Realty is now planning a third party lawsuit against Wakefield. This would bring all of the relevant parties, Wakefield, Portsmouth, and MMCT Realty, into one suit to try to straighten this mess out. MMCT needs this as they are stuck in the middle. Its hands tied, as while they own the property, they don't own the cars or the books, but they are the ones being assessed the fines. With a lawsuit, the court could then direct everyone involved as to what to do. However, it is very unlikely the outcome will be to Wakefield's liking, nor can it be assumed he will voluntarily comply with an adverse ruling. This could end up badly for him, which is a shame as he is not a bad person, it's just that his thought processes work a little differently than they do for most people.
