Next Page Books and Nosh in Frisco, Colo., has new owners, one of whom is a former employee. The Summit Daily News reported that Erik Benson, whose first job in Summit County more than 15 years ago was at Next Page, and his wife, Jacque Benson, recently purchased the business from Lisa Holenko. She had been the owner since buying the store in 2016 from Karen Berg, who opened it in 2007.
The Bensons do not plan major changes to the shop. "So far, they've reintroduced a bar with coffee, tea, wine and beer and are building on community partnerships that they hope they can expand even further," the Daily News wrote, adding that next summer the couple "are hoping to have some outdoor seating offerings to further boost the community feel they are striving to maintain."
They are also planning to expand and revamp an existing collaboration with local schools. "We want all of the schools and all the teachers in the district to know that we are here, and we want to support you. We want to support everyone's love for reading, not just the kids," Jacque Benson said.
Noting that they want to work with other indie bookstores in the region to share ideas about initiatives with local organizations, she described the independent bookstore community as "collaborative, not competitive."