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| Paul Schoomer | |
Paul Schoomer, former bookseller who co-owned Paul's Books in St. Louis, Mo., for more than 20 years, died on August 13 at the age of 82.
From 1973 until 1996, he and his wife, Suzanne Schoomer, owned and operated Paul's Books in the Delmar Loop in St. Louis's University City neighborhood. Schoomer was "instrumental in building the Delmar Loop into a viable commercial district through his work establishing and then acting as the initial president of the Special Benefit Taxing District." He also served on the city council of University City for 20 years.
Paul's Books was "right down the street" from the original location of Left Bank Books, and Kris Kleindienst, owner of Left Bank Books, remembered Schoomer as a "serious booklover" and his store as a "serious booklover's dream." Schoomer "was an avid reader of history and knowledgeable about numerous topics from the arcane to the present day."
Schoomer also exemplified "what a good bookstore owner should be: community-minded, involved in civic affairs, passionate about books and supportive of their bookselling colleagues in the area. I don't think I appreciated his influence at the time, but I certainly do now."
The Schoomers closed their bookstore after big-box stores "invaded" St. Louis, Kleindienst recalled, and subsequently became Left Bank customers. "It was always wonderful to see them."