Former manager Matt Aragon-Shafi has purchased West Side Books & Curios in Denver, Colo., from founder Lois Harvey, who opened the shop, located in Highlands Square at 3434 West 32nd Ave., in 1997. Westword reported that "the transition was made official on New Year's Day 2026, when a party was held at the store to mark the occasion."
West Side Books will have a soft reopening in a smaller section of its former space by mid-January, with a focus on new books and a wide range of curios. A grand reopening event is anticipated for February. "The new plan is to let go of the square-footage-hungry used books section of the store, vacate that back space completely, and move the store into the sidewalk-facing front," Westword wrote.
Harvey's brother, who originally owned the building, sold it three years ago to Grant Gingerich, with West Side Books' lower-than-market-rate rent grandfathered in until the summer of 2025.
"It was tough to carry for three years," Gingerich said. "But it was important for me to honor it, and we did. Now we're just trying to figure out what we can all do together to make sure West Side Books remains both open and viable. There are a lot of vintage spaces in the Highlands that deserve preservation, and West Side Books is one of those."
When Aragon-Shafi expressed interest in taking over the store, "Lois said that if I believed that the store could do well selling only new books, she was behind me 100 percent. She'd had an extension of the original lease agreement from this last summer through January 31, so we knew that was our deadline."
Gingerich noted that the vacated back area will become a community space: "It's envisioned as an art collective coffee-bar type of environment. Community-driven event space, including the courtyard as a sort of amphitheater. So we can have a congregation area on 32nd that right now doesn't exist."
Aragon-Shafi added that he is excited about those plans and hopes to host book, art, and music events sponsored by the bookstore. "We want to be even more neighborhood-focused," he said. "I'll be putting up a community bulletin board, start an events calendar, such that we're able to invite singer-songwriters or even comedians, along with author events. And maybe with whatever happens with that back space, it'll be even easier to do that."
Harvey observed: "Thankfully, the new book part of the bookstore will survive; smaller, but with the same fine customer service WSB is known for... and the same eclectic selection that seems right for the 'hood'... whatever happens, remember: books open minds and hearts. Read at whim! Read with determination! Read as if your life depends on it! Read to save democracy! Read, or see your world diminish."