The Wooster Book Company is for sale
After 24 years in downtown Wooster, Carol Rueger and David Wiesenberg are ready to retire. Unless a new owner is found, the downtown storefront will close on June 30 of this year.
"We are looking forward to spending more time reading than we spend shelving books," Wiesenberg said.
Rueger and Wiesenberg want to see a buyer come forward and take over the business that has been an integral part of the dynamic revitalization of downtown over the past two decades. From story hours, to book signings, to the new wine bar and community space, the Wooster Book Company has been at the heart of the downtown community.
The store has won numerous awards from local to national. Early on they won the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce Successful New Business Award. They received a Commitment Recognition Award from Main Street Wooster and a Friend of Young Children citation from the Wayne Association for the Education of Young Children.
The Wooster Community Design Commission awarded the store recognition for restoration and innovation. The Wooster Book Company's newsletter received the American Booksellers Association award for Best Designed Newsletter. The Ohio Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library Congress, recognized the store as an Advocate for the Literary Arts. An Ohioana citation was bestowed for contribution to the community and commitment to Ohio literature.
The publishing arm of the business has had a huge impact in the community and larger literary world as well.
"I think it's kind of startling, the number of people in the community who have had a book project with us," Wiesenberg said. "It could be as high as maybe 50 or more."
The books, several of which have won awards, run the gamut from photography, to history, to fiction.
The store also has been a great source of local jobs for everyone from high school and college students to older members of the community. Over 100 locals have worked at the store over the past 24 years. Many of them still keep in touch with the owners.
Beyond jobs Rueger discussed how access to a local bookstore benefits the community in 2017.
"We strongly feel that, more than ever, there is a need to provide people access to in-depth information that they can reason through and think about. In these days of tweets, twits and instant news, we are losing the capacity for sustained thought. Bookstores have always been places for people of all convictions to access information and become more informed without judgment or prejudice."
Contrary to what big box and online stores may like consumers to believe, independent bookstores seem to be on the upswing. Mark and Donna Paz Kaufman run a company that helps to launch just such stores. Sales of their book, "Owning a Bookstore: The Essential Planning Guide," have doubled since 2012. The book costs $100, so it's safe to say the people buying it are serious about the business.
In a recent Huffington Post article, Mark Kaufman said, "As more and more consumers seek authentic experiences — as well as suffer from screen fatigue — and embrace the Shop Local movement, indie bookstores have an important niche to fill."
"We have shared our love of reading with thousands of children, teens and adults. It's really a special day when any of our former high school clerks bring their children in to browse and pick out books," Wiesenberg said. "That's the meaning of a community bookstore right there."
Potential buyers are invited to contact the Wooster Book Company at david@woosterbook.com.
