Photo: Courtesy of Ben and Rebecca Pagel / Buzz Bookstore
The name Buzz Bookstore was decided on the fourth date. That might tell you everything you need to know about Ben and Rebecca Pagel — that the dream of owning a bookstore together wasn’t a someday fantasy but a shared plan they’ve been working toward ever since.
They’re bringing that plan to Occoquan this fall, in one of the town’s oldest and most storied buildings: 406 Mill Street, the historic Ferryman’s House, a structure dating to 1750 that has spent centuries welcoming travelers to the banks of the Occoquan River.
57 Rubbermaid tubs and a 14th-floor studio apartment
The Buzz Bookstore origin story begins, as so many good ones do, with a problem and a clever solution. Early in their relationship, Ben came across a Craigslist listing for more than 2,000 books being sold by a storage-unit buyer who had no practical way to sell them individually. An engagement ring wasn't in the budget, but an opportunity was right in front of them. Rebecca encouraged him to take the chance — and then she negotiated the seller down to $400. Soon they were hauling 57 Rubbermaid tubs of books into Ben's 14th-floor studio apartment via shopping cart, teaching themselves the art and business of bookselling.
A decade of book fairs and late nights
Over the next ten years, Buzz Bookstore grew steadily — through online sales at BuzzBookstore.com, regional book fairs, estate purchases, and countless evenings spent researching, cataloging, and shipping books from wherever they happened to be living. Eventually the business grew large enough that Ben left his corporate career to run it full time.
Through all of it, the dream of a physical bookstore remained firmly in the “some day” column. They weren’t looking for just any storefront. They wanted a building with history, in a walkable downtown, in a place where a rare and vintage bookshop would feel like it belonged.
Rerouted through Occoquan
Photo: Courtesy of Buzz Bookstore
The discovery of Occoquan was, fittingly, accidental. Ben was rerouted through town one day due to traffic on I-95. He voice-texted Rebecca to look it up if she wanted to daydream. By the time he reached the next rest stop, she’d sent him the listing for 406 Mill Street. The following Monday, they called the realtor. By Friday, they’d put in an offer.
After visiting the town in person, they knew it was exactly the kind of community they’d hoped to become part of. Then they walked through 406 Mill Street and knew it was the shop they’d been imagining.
The Ferryman’s House: 275 years of history
Photo: Courtesy of Buzz Bookstore
The building at 406 Mill Street is one of the oldest surviving structures in Occoquan, dating to approximately 1750. It is perhaps best known as the historic Ferryman’s House, reflecting the era when travelers crossing the Occoquan River did so by ferry before bridges connected the town. The building is recognized as a contributing structure within Occoquan's Old and Historic District, as designated by the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Historic Landmark Commission.
It has served many purposes over the centuries — and according to the town medium, it has also accumulated a few ghosts along the way. The combination of history, lore, and location made the decision easy.
Coming this fall — with a preview on August 9
The Buzz Bookstore sign already out on the brick sidewalk of Mill Street, Occoquan. Photo: Courtesy of Buzz Bookstore
The inside of the shop is still being built out, but Buzz Bookstore is very much a working operation. Ben and Rebecca continue to sell rare and vintage books to customers across the country through BuzzBookstore.com and at regional book fairs while they prepare the building for a late September opening.
For those who can’t wait that long: Buzz Bookstore will be doing a pop-up book sale on the porch at 406 Mill Street on Saturday, August 9 — during Occoquan’s Swords, Brooms & Magical Beasts event. It’s an ideal introduction to the shop and the people behind it.
When the shop opens this fall, visitors can expect rare and collectible books alongside vintage copies of beloved titles — the kind of books that reward slow browsing and genuine discovery.
And Occoquan — a town that has always drawn people with a nose for the rare and the beautiful — seems exactly the right place for it.
📚 Buzz Bookstore opens late September 2026 at 406 Mill Street, Occoquan. Shop online now at BuzzBookstore.com. Pop-up porch sale: Saturday, August 9 during Swords, Brooms & Magical Beasts.
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