Main Street Books in Mansfield, Ohio, will close at the end of the month, announced manager Llalan Fowler. Store owner John Fernyak has decided to close the store, which originally opened in 1997, and the store's official last day will be Saturday, September 26.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being such lovely and loyal customers and friends," wrote Fowler, who has worked at the store for the past nine and a half years. "I feel that I will be disappointing a lot of people in sharing this news, but I hope all the good times we had at the bookstore will make up for that."
Fowler also encouraged her customers to continue to support independent bookstores in other ways, including using Bookshop.org for new physical books and audiobooks, and Powell's for used books.
"I've often described being The Bookstore Lady as a kind of dream job, and I wasn't exaggerating," Fowler continued. "Thank you for contributing to the best job a bookworm could wish for. I hope those of you in town will come visit me one last time."