The Imaginary Bookshop, Greenfield, Mass., will be closing at the end of January after more than two years in business. Co-owners Crista DeRicco and Maura MacDonald announced their decision in a Facebook post last week.
"In the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, 'life is made up of meetings and partings,' " they wrote. "We have LOVED operating the bookshop--meeting so many new people, talking about our favorite thing (books!), hosting author readings, weird photo sessions, puppy adoption events, sharing writing prompts, & seeing your kids' wonderful art. You're all the best of the best and we're so thankful that you have chosen to support our shop and spend time with us."
The owners cited several reasons for their decision to close, noting that while the bookshop had a successful first two years of operation, 2024 proved more challenging: "We hoped it was a temporary blip caused by the downtown construction, but bookstores nationally are struggling with low sales and price increases--one book's price went up a full $8 from one order to the next & that's not sustainable for anyone. Sadly, we simply don't have the reserves to hope things improve, and a planned exit seemed much better than allowing an emergency situation to arise."
Although a final closing date has not been finalized, the Imaginary Bookshop will be open regular hours on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of January, with possibly a few additional weekends into February. The store's bookshop.org and libro.fm pages are also active.
The owners added: "We're sad, but not everything lasts forever and that's okay. We’ve loved getting to know you and what you’re reading, and we look forward to seeing you out in the world!"