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| Browsers' Bookstore in Corvallis, Ore. | |
Browser's Bookstore, which sells new and used books, has a new owner and will close its Corvallis, Ore., location this month while keeping the store in Albany, Ore., open.
Last year, owner and founder Scott Givens had said he would be shuttering both stores in February, but Browser's has since been sold to Abe Richmond, who has worked in the Albany store for the past six years. The Corvallis location will close permanently, while the Albany store is closing temporarily in March for remodeling, with a re-opening scheduled for April 3 at the latest.
When Givens announced the closure, Richmond began searching for a new job, but Givens "hesitated over shutting both Browser's locations down, and one morning, Givens said to him, 'Well, you could take it over,' " the Daily Barometer reported.
Although Richmond jokingly answered "sure," the interaction "launched a serious discussion on how this transfer could feasibly work. About four months from now, 'Volume 3' of Browser's Bookstore in Albany will open, under Richmond--the Corvallis and Albany locations under Givens's ownership are Volume 1 and Volume 2, respectively."
"Hopefully, some people will continue to support Browser's by showing up at the Albany store once in a while," Givens said. "[It's the] same vibe, different books." The two stores are about 12 miles apart.
Givens said Browser's might return to Corvallis with a new owner in the future, "but for now, Browser's will remain in Albany for financial reasons. Givens himself is staying in the area, and will continue selling rare books and big collections," the Daily Barometer wrote.
Richmond plans to maintain Browser's niche with a little more variety regarding newer books, and welcome a wider audience as well as the current regulars that come to Browser's. One of Richmond's main goals with Browser's is to "make [literature] lit."