BookMarx, a used and new bookstore in Springfield, Mo., will soon be expanding into an adjacent storefront, the Springfield Daily Citizen reported.
In a Facebook post, store co-owners Josh Arnett and Harvey Day-Arnett said they've signed a lease for 325 E. Walnut St., Suite 102, and construction will begin to remove an interior wall and connect that space with Suite 101, which the bookstore has occupied since its opening in 2014.
The additional space will allow BookMarx to expand all facets of its business, including nearly tripling its book inventory, with Arnett highlighting a new children's area and an improved theater section. The bookstore will create a new events space called the Footnote, and it will add a used book buying station to free up space at the "cramped" checkout counter. Last year BookMarx created a video rental store called Mr. Googorium's Movie Emporium, and that too will be expanded with the addition of a VHS wall.
Arnett noted that the adjacent space previously belonged to Austen Boutique, which its owner closed in order to pursue a different career. Though the bookstore "lost the perfect neighbor," the available space did provide the opportunity to "fulfill our ultimate vision of our store."
BookMarx and Mr. Googorium's will remain open during the construction, which Arnett hopes will be finished by the late summer.
"Thank you for a great 12 years, and we can't wait for an even better next 12," Arnett wrote.