- Archives Book Shop is closing after nearly 36 years in East Lansing
- Owner Ray Walsh has priced everything at 50% off, including rare books
- Walsh says he plans to keep sister location, Curious Book Shop, open, and is also is selling books online
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A chapter is closing here in East Lansing. After over three decades of service, Archives Book Shop is closing it’s doors for good later this month.
75-year old Ray Walsh has dedicated much of his life to bringing books to our neighborhoods.
“We have over 20,000 books here, but we also have 40,000 post cards, and we have binder full of ephemera and pamphlets and local history," Walsh told me.
It all began when he was a student at Michigan State University in 1969, when he bought 1,000 paperbacks from a professor.
Now, Walsh owns two separate shops, just blocks a part from each other on Grand River Avenue: Curious Book Shop and Archives Book Shop. But at the end of the month, only the Curious Book Shop will remain.
“Part of it is, just financially, we’re just not getting enough people coming in, and we have to justify being able to maintain a business," Walsh explained. "One of the other problems we have is customer base is shrinking a bit because some of our better customers are passing away or downsizing or they're spending money on things like food, electricity, and water.”
Walsh has priced everything at 50% off, including rare books. But what he will be keeping is decades of memories.
Walsh reminisced, “I've had people who bring their kids and grandkids in and said, "we met at your bookshop, my first date was here".”
Walsh says he plans to keep Curious Book Shop open, and is also is selling books online. A Go Fund Me fundraiser has also been set up to help with expensive moving costs.
Walsh told me he expects to close up shop on February 28th.
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