Kyle Churman and Lauren Shoemaker are the new owners of Werner Books, a new and used bookstore in Erie, Pa. The Times-News reported that Gayle Werner, who "has been living that bookseller's dream for the past 20 years, first as the owner of Tattered Corners in Meadville, and since 2010 as the owner of Werner Books" at 3514 Liberty St., turned the keys over to the husband-and-wife team on Tuesday.
Werner said owning a bookshop had, for the most part, been everything she would have hoped: "It's fun. Honestly, you love coming to work every day. I think I have had only two grumpy customers in 21 years."
Earlier this week, Werner said goodbye in a Facebook post, noting in part: "This week ends an era in both my personal and professional life.... So much has changed, but one that has stayed constant is the unwavering support of the local community. Your actions exemplify the importance of shopping local and keeping an independent bookstore in Erie.... It has been a pleasure working and training Kyle and Lauren the last few weeks. Watching their excitement and energy makes my decision to retire so much easier."
The new owners said no dramatic changes are planned for the shop. Even the name will stay the same. In a post on social media yesterday, they wrote: "We are so excited to be taking over ownership of Werner Books and to continue Gayle's legacy. Lauren and I cannot wait to meet everyone and share our love of reading with the Erie community. There is such a loyal customer base here and we have already met so many wonderful people.
"Nearly everything you love about Werner Books is going to stay the same including the book buybacks, customer credit, summer book sale, even all of our employees are staying with us. We are also so grateful to the city of Erie for a Flagship grant for new technology. We plan to see many of you out in the community at events including this weekend. Lauren and I cannot wait to meet all of you and hope you'll stop in the store soon."