New Majority Owner at Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe

Veteran staff member Gretchen Horn has become the majority owner of Renaissance Bookfarm Inc., which runs Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe and Downtown Books & News in Asheville, N.C. Founder Emoke B'Racz will remain as minority owner. In an announcement posted on the store's website, the company said the "transition ensures that both bookstores will stay in Asheville, and it renews the business' commitment to a vibrant local economy."

B'Racz expressed "total faith" in Horn--who began working at Malaprop's as a barista in 2001 and has held several positions, most recently as director of operations and financial manager--to carry the business forward: "She has managed to learn all operations of the whole store and assisted me for many years."

"Emoke and I have worked together for the last 17 years," Horn said. "I am excited to continue and further my love of books at the helm of two of the finest community bookstores. My hope is to change little, retaining the magic they have held since opening their doors."

B'Racz, who opened Malaprop's with partner Pickett Huffines in 1982 at 61 Haywood St., said she "wanted a bookstore that was diverse and global. Every town in this world deserves a good bookstore because it is a center of education and freedom."

Gretchen Horn (l.) and Emöke B'Racz

The shop was later moved to its current location at 55 Haywood St. She opened Downtown Books & News in 1988 at 67 N. Lexington Ave. A pop-up bookstore within the Center for Art & Inspiration in downtown Hendersonville is scheduled to open February 23.

Despite the transition, B'Racz said she does not consider herself retired: "I don't know how to retire. That's my new job, to learn how to retire. But I'm up for it. I'm up for that challenge."

Growing up in California's Silicon Valley, Horn said she didn't come to appreciate independent bookstores or their role in a community until she started working for Malaprop's while attending the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

"At the time, I just really wanted to work in a coffee shop," Horn recalled, though she quickly learned that Malaprop's wasn't quite like other coffee shops she'd known. "So I've gotten a lot of free coffee, free books, and free events for the last 17 years," she said. "I love it here. I work for Emöke. And I essentially still will be because I want to retain her vision. I will always work for Malaprop's, which is a place that Emöke created."

Horn has no plans to change the business. "I want people to have books, I want people to be happy when they come into the store, and I want to serve the community. As long as those needs are met, then I can be proud," she said, adding: "Asheville is a special place that calls out to artists, writers, and creative people. I know Malaprop's can be part of revitalizing that creativity, just as it helped downtown Asheville get off its feet 37 years ago."

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