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Erin Rivera has purchased The Frugal Frigate Children's Bookstore, located in downtown Redlands, Calif., from previous owner Gay Kolodzik, who has owned and operated the store since 2010.
"First and foremost I want to assure all of our friends that the store is going to stay the magical place you've come to know and love throughout our 31-year history," Rivera wrote in a Facebook post announcing the purchase. "This is not a business opportunity for me. It's a calling and an absolute dream come true."
While Rivera has spent the last 20 or so years in the insurance industry, she is a Redlands local, and her first job was as a part-time bookseller at the Frugal Frigate, where she worked with the store's founder and original owner, Katherine Thomerson. Said Rivera: "I would walk over after school from Redlands High and I'm still convinced that this was the best first job ever."
Rivera has not announced any major changes to the store, and activities like storytime sessions will continue as scheduled. She said she was grateful to Kolodzik and her staff for "everything they have done over the past decade for the store, and I look forward to seeing you all soon."
The Frugal Frigate resides in a building that once served as the city's original carriage house and pony stable, and dates back to 1904. The name refers to an Emily Dickinson poem called "There Is No Frigate Like a Book."