Prologue Bookshop in Columbus, Ohio celebrated its grand opening at a new location last Thursday with the assistance of a line of more than 100 people, who passed the final books hand-to-hand between the old store at 841 N. High Street and the new space at 787 N. High Street.
The bookstore posted on Facebook Friday: "Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came out to be part of our human book chain yesterday ahead of our grand opening! We are continually blown away by the support of our community. We couldn't be where we are without all of you."
Owner Dan Brewster told WOSU he was pleased with the community turnout: "Everybody seemed to really have a great time, and I'm so happy that people were able to come out. We had great weather for it." He noted that staying in the city's Short North neighborhood was a key factor in his decision, noting that the old location "was a great space. We had really great, great neighbors here and a really great part of High Street. And yeah, we're just excited to move into a bigger and better and more vibrant area."
In addition to increased inventory, the new store will feature expanded events and other programming. "We have a great event area in the store, including a stage," Brewster had said earlier. "We're also going to have an improved book club experience and a reading area upstairs."
Brewster added that Prologue Bookshop is committed to the Short North and his team is excited to expand the shop's imprint in the area, noting that the shop's growth demonstrates how readers continue to show up for indie bookstores and the importance of a thriving book ecosystem.
"We feel that this is one of the best areas for independent retail in the city," he said. "We have a lot of great neighbors and our community supports us through events we do, coming to book clubs and just hanging around the store. We're happy to stick around."