The Book Loft

Last updated
The Book Loft of German Village
TypeBook store
Founded1977
FounderCarl Jacobsma and Roger Tompkins
Headquarters631 South Third Street, Columbus, Ohio,
United States
OwnerCarl Jacobsma and Russell Iler
Building details
The Book Loft
Website www.bookloft.com

The Book Loft of German Village is an independent bookstore in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Opened in 1977 and described by the Columbus Business First as "iconic" and a "tourist destination", [1] the store has also been called "a national treasure" by The New York Times. [2] The Book Loft has been described by visitors as a "literary labyrinth" due to its maze-like 32 rooms of books connected by narrow passageways and staircases. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Store interior Long Hallway of Books.jpg
Store interior

The Book Loft of German Village is one of the largest independent bookstores in the United States, [5] with at least 500,000 books in stock and close to a million volumes available during Christmas holiday season. [4] A garden path lined with park benches leads to a patio with bargain books and the main entrance. [6] The store experience includes walking narrow hallways with stairways to multiple levels and the occasional dead end. [6] A map describing the contents of each of the 32 rooms is available for visitors. [6] The Book Loft covers 7,500 square feet of space, and along with books the store sells jigsaw puzzles, posters, and other merchandise. [7] Eighteen music systems each play different music to create a genre-specific soundtrack in each area. [8] The children's areas are the most popular rooms, according to owner Carl Jacobsma. [9]

Columbus area author Hanif Abdurraqib has described the sense of getting lost in the store as a formative experience, saying "It was important to read my way out of that maze... By the time I exited The Book Loft, I was able to imagine a different and better world than the one that I'd entered." [10]

One of the niches the bookstore fills is providing closeouts ("remainders") that are sold at a heavily reduced price. [7] The store provides a discount on every book sold in the store, with discounts ranging from 5% to 90%. [8]

The Book Loft offers multiple events a month such as author readings and signings, as well as sponsoring off-site events like comic book conventions. [11]

Building

The store is located in red brick buildings dating to before the Civil War. 631 South Third Street once housed Maurer's Saloon and a nickelodeon movie theater called the Lily Cinema. [6] [12] Living quarters were located on the second floor of what was known as the Substantial Building, which would go on to serve as a church, a decorating company, an art studio and school, and an indoor golf course. [12] In 1968 Marnie Southard opened a flower shop in one room of the building; later buying the entire building, she opened a larger art and antiques store and divided the rest of the building into six small shops. [12] She also bought the adjacent building at 632 City Park, which had opened as Wolf Tavern in the nineteenth century and through the years had served as a series of small groceries. [12] Southard created a block-long retail mall, building a new store connecting the two buildings, which was the original space of the Book Loft and now serves as its main entrance. [12]

History

Former teachers Carl Jacobsma and Roger Tompkins owned a gift shop in the mid-1970s, and in 1977 Marnie Southard asked them to join her in a retail venture. [8] [12] Jacobsma and Tompkins opened a bookstore in one of the stores of Southard's mall; [12] at opening, the store was small, with two floors with a loft on top, providing inspiration for the store's name. [7] When neighboring shops went out of business, Tompkins and Jacobsma would buy the space, tear down the walls, and expand. [12] In a slow and steady process over the next fifteen years, they would repeat this process at least seven times, until the entire building was theirs. [12] [9] In 1987 the shop's book buyer, Russell Iler, became co-owner of the store; [7] owner Roger Tompkins died in 2012. [13]

The Book Loft struggled with tight finances due to the rise of Internet retailers in the late 2000s; [13] since the mid-2010s, the business has recovered financially. [9] In 2021, the store owners purchased the building. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus, Ohio</span> Capital and largest city of Ohio, United States

Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 14th-largest city in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Lights Bookstore</span> Bookstore and publisher in San Francisco

City Lights is an independent bookstore-publisher combination in San Francisco, California, that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It also houses the nonprofit City Lights Foundation, which publishes selected titles related to San Francisco culture. It was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. Both the store and the publishers became widely known following the obscenity trial of Ferlinghetti for publishing Allen Ginsberg's influential collection Howl and Other Poems. Nancy Peters started working there in 1971 and retired as executive director in 2007. In 2001, City Lights was made an official historic landmark. City Lights is located at 261 Columbus Avenue. While formally located in Chinatown, it self-identifies as part of immediately adjacent North Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strand Bookstore</span> Independent book store in New York City

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Village</span> Historic neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

German Village is a historic neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, just south of the city's downtown. It was settled in the early-to-mid-19th century by a large number of German immigrants, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the city's entire population. It became a city historic district in 1960 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, becoming the list's largest privately funded preservation district, and in 2007, was made a Preserve America Community by the federal government. In 1980, its boundaries increased, and today it is one of the world's premier historic restorations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus City Center</span> Former mall in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus City Center was a 1,250,000 sq ft (116,000 m2), three-level shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio. It was located in the city's downtown, near the Ohio Statehouse, next to the Ohio Theatre, and connected to a Hyatt hotel. The mall had a large parking structure attached that, despite the mall's closure in 2009, is still used extensively by downtown workers. The parking structure has been joined, directly or via bridge respectively, to two 12 story structures, 250 S. High Street and 80 on the Commons, both of which feature lower level office spaces with residential spaces on the upper floors.

Beechcroft High School is a four-year high school located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. Beechcroft was first opened in 1976 as a six-year junior/senior high school. At that time, school enrollment peaked at 1,200+ students. Current enrollment is 950 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westland Mall (Ohio)</span> Shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio

Westland Mall is a defunct 860,000-square-foot (80,000 m2) shopping center located at the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 270 on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. In November 2012, the majority of the mall closed, and the last anchor closed in 2017. Developers plan to demolish the structure and build a mixed-use project at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mall at Tuttle Crossing</span> Shopping mall in Central Ohio

The Mall at Tuttle Crossing is an enclosed shopping mall located in northwest Columbus, Ohio. It has a Dublin, Ohio mailing address, but it is in the Columbus city limits. It was developed by a joint venture of Taubman Centers and the Georgetown Company and opened on July 24, 1997. In 2021, the mall was reported to be heading towards foreclosure. The anchor stores are Macy's, Scene75 Entertainment Center, and JCPenney. There is one vacant store that was once Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germain Amphitheater</span>

Germain Amphitheater was a 20,000-seat outdoor entertainment venue located in Columbus, Ohio, near the suburb of Westerville. The venue opened as part of a large development venture off of Interstate Highway I-71. There were 6,700 seats in an open-air pavilion—much of it under cover—and room for another 13,300 people on general admission lawn seating. The concert season began mid-May, continuing through early October and featured 20-30 concerts per year. At the time it opened, it was the largest and most suitable venue for concerts in central Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotham Book Mart</span> Former bookstore in Manhattan, New York (1920–2007)

The Gotham Book Mart was a famous Midtown Manhattan bookstore and cultural landmark that operated from 1920 to 2007. The business was located first in a small basement space on West 45th Street near the Theater District, then moved to 51 West 47th Street, then spent many years at 41 West 47th Street within the Diamond District in Manhattan, New York City, before finally moving to 16 East 46th Street. Beyond merely selling books, the store virtually played as a literary salon, hosting meetings of the Finnegans Wake Society, the James Joyce Society, poetry and author readings, art exhibits, and more. It was known for its distinctive sign above the door which read, "Wise Men Fish Here". The store specialized in poetry, literature, books about theater, art, music and dance. It sold both new books as well as out-of-print and rare books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalia (bookstore)</span> German book shop chain

Thalia is a chain of more than 200 book shops in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio History Center</span> History museum in Columbus, Ohio

The Ohio History Center is a history museum and research center in Columbus, Ohio. It is the primary museum for Ohio's history, and is the headquarters, offices, and library of the Ohio History Connection. The building also houses Ohio's state archives, also managed by the Ohio History Connection. The museum is located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, site of the Ohio State Fair, and a short distance north of downtown. The history center opened in 1970 as the Ohio Historical Center, moving the museum from its former site by the Ohio State University. The building was designed by Ireland & Associates in the Brutalist style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with the Ohio Village in 2023.

Kingsdale Shopping Center, also known as Kingsdale, Kingsdale Center, and Kingsdale Mall, is a large, mixed-use shopping center in Upper Arlington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. It features a Giant Eagle Market District supermarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanif Abdurraqib</span> American poet and essayist

Hanif Abdurraqib is an American poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is the author of 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain't Worth Much, the 2017 essay collection They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, the 2019 non-fiction book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes on A Tribe Called Quest on the American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, the 2019 poetry collection A Fortune for Your Disaster, and the 2021 essay collection A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance which received the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Go Ahead in the Rain was on the long list for the 2019 National Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station</span> Historic site

The Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station, today named Station 67, is a union meeting space and event hall located in Franklinton, near Downtown Columbus, Ohio. Built by the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad from 1895 to 1896, it served as a passenger station until 1930. It served as an office and shelter for Volunteers of America from 1931 to 2003, and has been the headquarters of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67, a firefighters' union, since 2007. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. During its history, the building has experienced fires and floods, though its relatively few owners have each made repairs and renovations to preserve the building's integrity. The building is the last remaining train station in Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Library (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Columbus, Ohios main lending library

The Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) system is located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The public library is the largest in the library system and holds approximately 300,000 volumes. It includes numerous rooms, including separate spaces for children, teens, an adult reading room, newspaper room, auditorium, gallery, gift shop, and a cafe. The third floor includes a computer lab and houses the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.

The Columbus Register of Historic Properties is a register for historic buildings and other sites in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The register is maintained by the City of Columbus Historic Resources Commission and Historic Preservation Office, and was established in 1980. Many of these landmarks are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, providing federal tax support for preservation, and some are further designated National Historic Landmarks, providing additional federal oversight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria Ship & Museum</span> Museum ship in Columbus, Ohio

The Santa Maria Ship & Museum was a museum ship in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The craft was a full-size replica of the Santa María, one of three ships Christopher Columbus used in 1492 during his first voyage to the Americas. The ship was displayed in Columbus from 1991 to 2014, when it had to be relocated due to the Scioto Mile project reshaping the riverbanks. The Santa Maria has sat on a city-owned lot since its relocation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin County Courthouse (1887–1974)</span> Former courthouse of Franklin County, Ohio

The 1887 Franklin County Courthouse was the second permanent courthouse of Franklin County, Ohio. The building, located in the county seat of Columbus, stood from 1887 to 1974. It replaced a smaller courthouse on the site, extant from 1840 to c. 1884. The 1887 courthouse deteriorated over several decades, and the site was eventually replaced with Dorrian Commons Park, open from 1976 to 2018; the court moved to a new building nearby. As of 2020, the site is planned to once again hold the county's Municipal Court building.

References

  1. ↑ Eaton, Dan (20 April 2020). "How German Village's iconic Book Loft is adapting to the impact of Covid-19". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Modak, Sebastian (26 March 2019). "An Awakening in Columbus, a Reckoning in Williamsburg". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Zac. "Cool Columbus: What to Do in the Midwest's Hippest City". Frommers. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 Conroy, Anthony (4 November 2019). "Columbus, Ohio: A two-wheel tour where fun and giant cream puffs reign". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Bertrand, Amy (10 March 2017). "Columbus: Hip neighborhoods, fun attractions make it worth a visit". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Elderfield, Jonathan (27 March 2018). "Get lost in 32 rooms of books at the Book Loft in Columbus". Associated Press. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Book Loft bucking industry trends". ThisWeek. Columbus, Ohio. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Krause, Jamie; McMillen, Chris (6 February 2001). "Book Loft in German Village gives warmth in cold winter". The Lantern. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Cohen, Karaline (1 July 2019). "Road Trippin'- The Book Loft of German Village". NBC 24 News (WNWO-TV). Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Behnke, Emily (24 January 2019). "Wi14 Keynote: Hanif Abdurraqib on Sampling, Reading, and Life in Indie Bookstores". American Booksellers Association. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ↑ Rau, Christina M. "Get Lost in the Book Loft". Book Riot. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Clark, John M. (2015). German Village Stories Behind the Bricks. The History Press. pp. 64–68. ISBN   9781467117760. OCLC   907885358.
  13. 1 2 Oller, Julia (9 April 2017). "Independent bookstores hold own against online giants". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "With building sale, German Village Book Loft starts new chapter". Columbus Dispatch . September 2, 2021.

39°56′58″N82°59′45″W / 39.9495°N 82.9957°W / 39.9495; -82.9957

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.