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Westport resident Esther Kramer, founder and owner of the Remarkable Book Shop formerly on Main Street, died April 2. She was 93.
Kramer was born Oct. 21, 1917, in New York City. From 1962 to 1994, she ran the Remarkable Book Shop, a well-known bookstore and social center at the end of Main Street in a pink colonial house. Actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were said to have frequented the shop, which was adorned with rubber chickens and wooden monkeys.
In 1978, Kramer made national news when she refused to sell copies of former President Nixon's autobiography. In a New York Times article, she was quoted as saying, "Not one copy will be ordered or sold in our store unless he's willing to sign a statement in advance giving all the proceeds to charity."
She is survived by her husband, Sidney Kramer of Westport; a son, Mark Kramer of Boston; a daughter, Wendy Posner of Chicago; and four grandchildren.
A program commemorating Kramer's life will be held Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Rd.
Did you know Esther Kramer or remember her store? Please share memories of her below.
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