Introduced to customers on Independent Bookstore Day, John and Beth Stroh are, effective July 1, the new owners of Viewpoint Books, Columbus, Ind., the Republic reported. John Stroh is a lawyer; Beth Stroh, formerly a teacher and education director for United Way of Central Indiana, will work fulltime in the store.
Beth Stroh said, "We haven't lived in Columbus without a Viewpoint bookstore, and it is such a valuable asset to the community. We read that Terry and Susan were interested in retiring, and felt like it was a legacy worth continuing." She and her husband first visited the store in 1981, just before moving to the city. She added, "Education, reading and the pure joy of books that are shared by families and groups of kids, adult reading groups--I can't imagine a world without books, and you need a book store for people to be able to have access to them."
Terry and Susan Whittaker, who have owned the store since 1979, had announced the sale last month but kept the identities of the new owners secret until last Saturday's celebration.
Speaking of the new owners, Terry Whittaker said, "They just kind of fit the perfect idea of who we would like to take over. They've been in this community for a very long time, they're very well known, they're very community oriented, they want to be involved in more than just retail, they want to be involved in downtown and have a broader impact on the community."
To learn more about bookselling and be better prepared for becoming bookstore owners, the Strohs attended Winter Institute in Denver in January, and Beth Stroh went to a Paz & Associates booksellers "boot camp."