Booked for Murder, the Madison, Wis., independent bookshop that was put up for sale in February, has a new owner. In a letter posted on the store's website, Sara Barnes reported that the store's inventory has been purchased by Joanne Berg, most recently a vice-provost at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "You will find her funny, wise and charming; I can't imagine anyone to whom I would rather pass the torch," Barnes wrote.
Booked for Murder will close its current location May 15, and Berg's new bookshop, Mystery to Me, is scheduled to open on June 15 at 1863 Monroe Street. "I know you'll show her all the support you always showered on me and that I can count on you to do your very best for our town's newest bookseller," Barnes noted.
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| Joanne Berg | |
In an accompanying message, Berg thanked her predecessor "for passing your dream of owning a bookstore on to me." To her new customers, she wrote: "Just when you think you have life all figured out a door opens and a dream is made possible. That's what happened to me when I heard Sara was selling Booked for Murder.... She's been a great teller of tales about the store, about books you love to read and about her love of independent bookstores. I have greatly appreciated her openness and her kindness. I will do my best to bring all of what you love about Booked for Murder to Mystery to Me."