Hearthside Books, Juneau, Alaska, has a new owner after more than a year on the market. Brenda Weaver purchased the business from Susan Hickey and Debbie Reisenstein. The Juneau Empire reported that both the downtown and Nugget Mall locations will remain open, but the name will be changed slightly to Hearthside Books, Etc., reflecting the wide range of sidelines offered. The original store opened in 1975.
"I'm very excited about the purchase of the bookstore," Weaver said. "I still absolutely have the passion for teaching but in Juneau the opportunity doesn't come around very often." A longtime Hearthside customer, she expressed her passion for local bookshops: "There's an opportunity to come in and browse and get (books) in your hands--check out what's new, what's old, some things you might pass up on otherwise."
Hickey told the Empire she and Reisenstein are relieved to have sold the stores and think Weaver will do a great job. She added that the former owners are "headed toward retirement but not headed out of town" and are "very happy that we're going to have two independent bookstores to shop at in Juneau. The reason we've been able to keep the stores here for 39 years are our longtime customers who continue to shop locally."
