ROANOKE, Va. – Book No Further, a downtown Roanoke independent bookstore, could potentially close unless someone buys the store by June 1.
Co-owner Doloris Vest, who opened the bookstore seven and a half years ago with her husband, plans to maintain an online presence if they do not get a storefront buyer.
“It’s bittersweet because it is kind of our baby. Every independent bookstore takes on the flavor of its owner, and this one certainly has,” said Vest.
Book No Further serves about 100 customers weekly, with people coming in from inside and outside Roanoke.
The shop offers more than just books.
“We’ve seen that bookstores show up on lists of economic development must-haves when companies relocate. Those kinds of things. The other thing is we do a lot of work with tourism by default. People come in and they ask about the area. They ask about restaurants. We tell them what we know and what we’d like to share,” said Vest.
Book No Further is not the only store making adjustments. She’s International Boutique, a downtown fixture for two decades, closed its physical location last December, transitioning to an online store with pop-up shops and personal shopping services.
“Usually just our flow of traffic comes from the downtown hotels, but last year it just didn’t happen. For all these years it always has, but it just didn’t work out last year,” said She’s International Boutique Owner Diane Speaks.
Speaks said She’s International Boutique closed because the store was not getting as many customers last year.
“I miss my customers, especially my sisters—they know who they are— that have kept me in business and become friends, and so I miss them, but at some point, I wasn’t as sad as people expected me to be but I was just ready to move on,” said Speaks.
Despite the challenges, Speaks maintains optimism about online operations.
10 News reached out to the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. In an email, President and CEO Eric Sichau said:
“Small Businesses are the backbone of our regional economy and thus it’s crucial we support small businesses as much as we can. Running a small business is incredibly challenging. It’s also important we advocate to ensure local, regional, and statewide public policy is business-friendly, allowing for entrepreneurs to thrive and grow. The Roanoke Regional Chamber will continue to be that voice for small business for our region and beyond.”
Book No Further hopes to find a new owner by June 1. They would like to sell both the storefront and the online shop. However, if Vest doesn’t get a buyer, she’ll keep the online shop open.
She hopes the store will stay in the community for years to come.
“We hear all the time about Book Strings and Things, it’s the one people talk about. It was here in the ’70s and the early ’80s. Everybody talks about it. Well, we hope one day that people will still be able to come to Book No Further and think of it the way they did those stores,” said Vest.