The Bookies Makes a Grand Return at a New Location

It was a one-two punch for the literary community when Bookies founder Sue Lubeck passed away in 2021 and Nicole Sullivan decided to close BookBar after a decade in the business at the beginning of 2023. But chapters in both books and the book business come and go: In the interim, Sullivan purchased the Bookies, promising to continue the legacy to which Lubeck had long been committed.

Sullivan's promise has resulted in a big move for the Bookies — literally. It was just under a year ago, in May 2023, that she announced that the Bookies would be leaving its longtime home (since 1971!) at South Colorado Boulevard and Mississippi Avenue, and moving into a new, custom-renovated spot just north of Evans Avenue at 2085 South Holly Street. On Saturday, April 27, the Bookies will open its new location with a grand reopening celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with events planned throughout the day. The day's events are free, and there will be raffles as well as a "Golden Ticket" scavenger hunt in cooperation with Libro.FM. For more information on the day's events, see the Bookies website.

The day's schedule includes an author storytime with Melanie Crowder at 10:30 a.m.; musical storytime with Bradley Weaver at 11 a.m.; a tae kwon do demo by Master Yoon (whose studio is on the second floor of the new space) at noon; a reading by Jill Carstens from her memoir, Getting Over Vivian: Navigating the Loss of a Colorado Home, at 2 p.m.; and an official welcome by the Bookies staff at 4 p.m.

"I'm looking forward to inviting customers back in," says Sullivan. "We've all missed doing what we do and love most: talking about books and giving recommendations to everyone looking for a good read. And we can't wait to show everyone around the new space."

That new space should be both familiar and also brand-new to longtime lovers of literature at the Bookies. Or at least that was the design concept going into the renovation of the new space, which had previously been a hearth and patio showroom. "We hope that [customers] see everything they've loved about the Bookies for over fifty years," says Sullivan, "and also the potential for engaging with this store and our wonderful staff even more. This space has a more open and modular layout. ... We have seating throughout the store for individuals looking for a cozy study or work spot, two fireplace lounges and a meeting room for groups. One of the more noticeable changes that you'll find from the previous location to this new one is that we've created more opportunities to gather as a community in a comfy, welcoming atmosphere."

"Community" is a key word for this new location, and Sullivan says she and her employees have been enjoying their new neighborhood as the renovations have progressed over the past months. "There are so many gems over here that we are still discovering," Sullivan says. "We've already spent a lot of time at La Fogata and Esters. And we love being right smack in the middle of Bonnie Brae Flowers and Rupps Drums, both longtime Denver staples. I, for one, am very excited about sharing the building with Master Yoon's World Tae Kwon Do College. Master Yoon has been teaching martial arts to Denver for about forty years, and I may just take up a new hobby!"

The details of the new Bookies space is something of which Sullivan is particularly proud. "I love the feel of the space," she says. "There is a lot of natural light and high ceilings. In designing the layout, we were mindful to keep the space feeling open and airy while also creating nooks for squirreling away with a book. We went with bold interior colors, which makes it feel playful and inviting."

The location is also better for the Bookies in the long term. "One of the biggest improvements is that this is a stand-alone building with good visibility in a high-traffic location," explains Sullivan. "Our previous location was tucked into the corner of a strip mall just off Colorado Boulevard. It was not the kind of location that you stumbled upon. It wasn't visible enough. It was hard to reach new customers being off the beaten path."

As for what the future holds for the Bookies, Sullivan says there are still more plans in the works. "As we get settled into our new space with a bit more time, it will become more obvious that each section of the store represents different ecological zones," she says. "For example, our toddler area has an arctic theme, the middle-grade section has a jungle vibe, and adult and educators' sections represent desert-scapes. As we fill each section in with plants — and possibly a few critters — it will feel like you are entering a new world every time you enter a new area." 

Sullivan vows that despite all the changes, the Bookies will never lose sight of its original guiding vision: "I like to think we're just ushering in an evolution of the business. This will always be the bookstore that Sue created. I'm simply the steward carrying her vision into the future."

The Bookies Grand Re-Opening, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, 2085 South Holly Street. Find more information at the Bookies' website.