CAMDEN — The former owners of the Ducktrap Motel in Lincolnville, Rick and Elaine Knight, thought they’d be heading into retirement, but apparently that’s not what life had in store for them.

Early in December, a notice quietly went up that Ricky and Selena Sheaves, the owners of the Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden, were independently putting the shop on the market. After nine months of building the business back up to a robust state (including adding a new café), they decided to re-prioritize and sell the business to spend more time with their children.

Elaine Knight had been dabbling in real estate at the time and brought the listing home to her husband. ”We sort of went over it,” she said. “He just thought it was a whim, but sure enough, one thing led to another and here we sit. It’s been a whirlwind.”

The Knights took over and re-opened the bookstore last week, retaining the original Owl & Turtle staff, whom they said they depend on tremendously.

“We rely on them to tell us what books we should be buying, what the public wants and who we should be booking to host author talks,” said Elaine. “They’re the experts; we’re not the experts. We just funded it.”

Both native Mainers, the Knights owned the Ducktrap Motel for 10 years before they sold it. “We loved it, but that was a 24-7 business,” said Rick. “People would knock on our door at 2 a.m. because they lost their key. Here, it’s 12 hours, but once it’s 4 p.m., we lock the door and go home.”

Maintaining the Sheaves’ motto of “Fiercely indie, truly local,” the Knights said they plan to continue the same direction with the bookstore. Rick said, “We’re going to keep going with what was working, keep analyzing as everyone goes along.” Rick, whose literary tastes lean toward historical fiction, and Elaine, whose tastes run the gamut, said they intend to host an author at least once a month and want to continue promoting local Maine authors in their store.

Alexis Zimba-Kirby is one of the original Owl & Turtle staff. As she sat behind the café station, checking the iPad, she talked about the transition.

“We knew it was coming; the Sheaves were open with us about the whole process,” she said. “So far, it’s worked out really well and they [the Knights] have been really supportive of the whole staff.” An avid reader (she was reading The Dubliners by James Joyce at the counter), Zimba-Kirby said in her time at Owl & Turtle, she’s gotten a real feel for what the clientele coming in is looking for.

“I think we’re just going to do more events and still keep this café going. We have a great morning crowd and an afternoon push most every day.”

She added that she’s going to miss the Sheaves, but that she still sees them. “They’ll still sticking around town,” she said.

Related story: New Owl & Turtle owners bring 'fiercely indie—truly local' vibe to bookshop

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com