One of Hampton’s newest downtown businesses owes its namesake to a small piece of town history.

Speakeasy Bookstore sits above Hampton’s basement speakeasy intended for surreptitious drinking during Prohibition.

Owners Don and Shannon Cannon are happy for the store to have a nod to Hampton’s history, as they become a chapter in the town’s story as well.

The married couple met while Shannon was working at her parent’s McDonough bookstore, Bell, Book and Candle, and their shared love of the written word not only led to a marriage, but a business in books.

They’ve been selling books online, but Shannon said she missed having a storefront and everything that came with it for her — the ability to appraise books and the camaraderie with customers.

“We fell in love with Hampton,” Don said of their choice to locate their business on Main Street.

While they live in McDonough, Shannon said she wanted their bookstore to be far away enough from Bell, Book and Candle so it wouldn’t spark competition, but would rather work as a sister store.

“It has panned out,” Don said of the business that opened March 1. “We’ve done great during our first couple of months.”

The Cannons sell popular titles in a myriad of genres, but also have some rare collector’s items, such as a signed 48th anniversary copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, which runs at a much steeper cost than their discounted books.

The large building they occupy gives the couple room to diversify their business, and Don said they hope to start having movie nights, and they already let book clubs use their meeting space.

The store, located at 5 E. Main St., is open Tuesday from noon to 8 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.