Earlier this summer, Page After Page Bookstore in Elizabeth City, N.C., moved from its home of nearly 20 years into a co-op called the Kenyon and Bailey Shopping Center.
The shopping center, explained Page After Page owner Susan Hinkle, includes a brewery, clothing store, garden center and other businesses, with no walls separating the different shops; her bookstore is located at the entrance.
The new space in the shopping center is much smaller than the previous location, and while Hinkle cut back the inventory significantly, she still carries a similar product mix of books and sidelines such as gifts and toys. She has her first big event, with six authors, lined up for October 15.
Hinkle said the move came about suddenly. She was interested in selling the bookstore and retiring when the previous building was purchased last December. The new owners said they didn't plan on making any big changes and said, "we're in no hurry." Then they sold the building, and in March the buyers said they wanted Hinkle and her bookstore out by June. Prior to the building's sudden sale, Hinkle had a buyer lined up for the bookstore. They backed out when the bookstore had to relocate.
She was able to postpone the store's closing until July 15, at which time she moved much of her inventory into a storage unit. Around then one of the owners of the Kenyon and Bailey Shopping Center approached her and said there was space available in the co-op. Hinkle noted that the shopping center has convenient parking and, because it has its own staff members who handle the registers, she can be there as often as she likes.
"It's the best of both worlds," remarked Hinkle. "I can stay in the bookselling business and still spend more time with my grandchildren. I can be semi-retired. It's kind of a blessing."