BENNINGTON — Just after 9 on Tuesday morning of last week, Jacob Esh tied on his shopkeeper’s apron and prepared for another day of commerce at his Christian book store. He was hopeful about the hours ahead, even as he admitted there had been no customers the previous day.

“The last 4 or 5 years have been slow,” said Esh, who turns 84 on Sept. 3. “It’s not dead, but how do you stay in business?”

December will mark 50 years since Esh leased a small space at an inside mall on North St. and began selling books in Bennington. He later rented other locations for the store, including a former fabric shop at the corner of County St. and Benmont Ave.

In 1982, Esh and his wife, Lorraine, bought a fixer-upper at 110 County Street. The couple, with their two young sons, were a party to two leases

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