Jessie Polenz, bookseller at Everybody's Bookstore in Rapid City, S.Dak., has purchased the used and new bookstore from retiring owner Lori Speirs. Polenz told the Rapid City Journal that she will officially take over on March 23, and Speirs will stay on for an "undetermined length of time" to help with the transition.
Polenz plans to start making some changes in April: she'll add a few extra bookshelves and also adjust hours so that the store will close slightly later in the day. If there is enough community support, she'll also consider opening on Sundays.
Speirs, who has owned the store since 1995, put the bookstore up for sale last summer. Once the ownership transition is complete, she plans to travel and visit her children who live out of state.
Polenz noted that she never intended to own a business, but when it looked like Speirs would have to close the store if she couldn't find a buyer, Polenz stepped up. "I really felt like I would rather put more effort in and learn to run a business than lose the bookstore entirely. I don't want to see the bookstore close."