Denver Book Society has opened at 1700 Humboldt St. in Denver, Colo. Owned by Kwame Spearman, former Tattered Cover CEO-turned 2023 mayoral candidate, and Rich Garvin, the business was inspired by "the late and lamented BookBar, which closed its doors in 2022 after a too-brief near-decade in business," Westword reported.
There will not be an official grand opening event. "I'm not in love with the concept of grand openings for two reasons. One, it's just too hard to be ready for something like that," Spearman said, recalling the 2022 launch of the Colorado Springs Tattered Cover location. "It stressed everyone out, and it's so tough to give everyone a good first impression that way. Not great. And secondly, it attracts a different kind of attention; we don't necessarily want the pomp and circumstance. We really just want to get the word out naturally by opening our doors and doing our thing in the best way we can."
Denver Book Society's owners intentionally excluded the word "store" from the name because "retail, while it's part of how DBS will survive and thrive, isn't the focal point. It's the society--the culture, the people, their passions, and how they take it in and put it out into the world--that's more important," Westword noted.
"There's nothing better than books to facilitate conversation," Spearman said. "You can have disagreement, engagement, alignment--it would be amazing if we as a city could get back to that.... Rich and I are serious about creating that third space.... That's something that extends not only to welcoming up-and-coming writers to read from their works, but also to embracing small print publishers and big books alike."
Local coffee roasters, bakers, and small farms will provide a rotating, seasonal menu of food and drink at the café and wine bar. The curated selection of books will be enhanced by author readings, creative workshops, story hours, poetry nights, and community gatherings.
"What's most important to me is that people can come here, either as a group or by themselves, and interact with other people," Spearman noted. "Everyone wants that, needs that. Having a conversation with the person next to you. We need more of that in the world. Books are just the amazing and inspirational conduit."