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Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Texas' oldest bookstore takes one-year sabbatical
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A historic downtown Fort Worth bookstore
and its owner will begin a yearlong breather Wednesday when Barber's
Book Store, long considered Texas' oldest, shuts down.
Owner Brian Perkins, 66, , said the doors to the bookstore
he bought 37 years ago will reopen Dec. 26, 1998.
Perkins said he plans to use the next year to reorganize and
restock the store, which specializes in rare and out-of-print
volumes.
"I love buying books," Perkins said, "and about
half the time I enjoy selling them."
Perkins hopes to add even more volumes to the thousands already
on the shelves and to organize the jumble of old and rare books
that have accumulated in the bookstore that opened 72-years ago.
Perkins bought the store in 1960 from Bert and Alice Barber,
who had run it since 1925. The break is Perkins first long-term
break from running the store.
"Whether this refills my enthusiasm tank remains to be
seen," Perkins said.
While Perkins sees the break as a needed sabbatical, some customers
were upset at the news of the store closing its doors.
Fort Worth real estate broker Norman Lindley said he has been
roaming through the store's piles of books for years and can't
imagine what is causing Perkins to take a leave.
"He's a smart guy and loves his books," Lindley said.
"He'll talk about them for hours."
But Perkins said those hours are needed for himself. He says
there remains a need for sellers who specialize in rare and out-of-print
books, but more often than not many of those independent operators
have been pushed out of the marketplace in the face of growing
competition.
"There are more chains coming," he said. "This
is going to be a chaotic industry for some time."Send
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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