Books & Mortar in Grand Rapids, Mich., which was set to close permanently this month, will reopen thanks to community support, MLive reported. Last month, store owner Jenny Kinne announced that August 1 would be the 10-year-old bookstore's last regular day in business, saying at the time that she was "completely burned out" and "deeply exhausted." In the wake of the announcement, some community members reached out about the possibility of buying the bookstore and reopening its doors later this year.
While she was unable to provide details just yet, Kinne wrote in an update posted July 30: "We won't be able to share full details until August, but please hang tight. Something beautiful is coming. In the meantime, Books & Mortar's current booksellers will be continuing offerings such as Sapphic Book Club through Many Hands Community Bookstore.
"All of this is such a testament to Books & Mortar's community of love and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Grand Rapids. Happy to say that this isn't a goodbye. It's a see you soon. Our little neighborhood shop may just find its next chapter."
Jonathan Shotwell and Christopher Roe founded Books & Mortar in 2016. Kinne worked there as a bookseller before buying the store in 2018, and in 2021, she purchased a building and moved the bookstore across the street.