November 4, 2010 Sad news from Knoxville today, as Carpe Librum Booksellers in the Bearden neighborhood announced it will close after this holiday season.
“You were more than just customers, but friends and partners in the small book world of Carpe Librum,” the owners wrote in an email to supporters yesterday. “Regrettably, the changing dynamics of book distribution combined with the current state of the economy have encroached on our little world…Thank you all, Constant Readers and friends, for making our dream come true. Please know that the intrinsic rewards of the past six years are vast and wonderful and far outweigh any hopes we may have had of financial gain.”
In its six-year life, Carpe Librum became a regular stop for touring authors, and was an active supporter of the Indie Next organization that supports independent booksellers nationwide.
“Carpe Librum has been a loyal friend to books and to local authors, hosting us with a hospitality that made each of us feel like the center of the universe,” said Marilyn Kallet, a poet and professor of English at the University of Tennessee. “The store was home to our work, and to our audiences. We not only sold books, we felt loved.”
The store, which is located at 5113A Kingston Pike and online at www.carpelibrumbooksellers.com, will be open through the end of December.
For more updates on Tennessee authors, please visit Chapter 16‘s News & Notes page, here.
