Our New Location

Sam Weller’s Bookstore will soon be moving to a new location in Salt Lake City. It's been a little more than two years since we first made that declaration. Today I am very happy to announce that a new location for our bookstore has been secured. Tony and I have signed a lease for a site in Trolley Square.

At the beginning of this process we believed we'd complete it within ten months — well, that was naive. It's been a long, difficult two years. I don't think there is a block in the downtown area that doesn't have available property we've left unconsidered. And there have been some tempting properties with some generous and creative owners. But due to a variety of factors, we were unable to swing a deal until this week. To remind you, we determined that our next location must have the following factors: free parking, affordable occupancy rates, footage ranging from 10,000 - 15,000 square feet, close proximity to stable traffic generating entities, close proximity to a TRAX stop, and architectural character. Add in a challenging economic climate, a difficult commercial real estate market, and a changing book industry and you get a very tall order to fill!

Trolley Square was among the first property owners to approach us with available space. But Tony and I were skeptical about leasing property and about locating out of the downtown core. Over time and many hours of negotiations, our concerns were allayed. We are delighted with our space in the old movie theaters in the trolley barn that abuts Sixth South. We are thrilled to be joining such esteemed local businesses as Tabula Rasa, Cabin Fever, and the Desert Edge Brewery. And we look forward to more local businesses joining us in Trolley.

Architectural plans are currently being drawn and construction schedules finalized. So I do not have a hard opening date to share with you yet. We are estimating relocation will be complete in early Autumn. Will we still need help moving? You betcha! Please contact Jan here at the store (801-328.2586 or books@samwellers.com).

I don’t have to tell you all that the book business is evolving at a rapid pace. Some of the issues are newer, some have been with us since the early 1990’s. Salt Lake City itself has changed considerably since the 1980’s and is currently undergoing another significant transformation. Sam Wellers has sold books in Salt Lake City since 1929, moving and changing all the while. Since we intend to continue to serve your bookish needs, we will continue to evolve with the City and with the times. We look forward to showing off the new space and our new and vastly improved web site soon. In the meantime, remember we’re here, we’ve got books, we’re selling them. Don’t be strangers! Come on down.

To get things kicked off, we're having a celebratory sale this Friday, June 17th and Saturday, June 18th. Used and Rare books will be 25% off. But we want you to help us clear out. So if you purchase 10 or more used books, or 10 plus rare books, you'll receive a 33% discount. In a Bargain Book mood? Buy 20 of those for $7.00.

Here's a photo of the Wellers staff celebrating the news Wednesday night.

Hey Angel!

You’ve no doubt seen the edge of the M. Lynn Bennion Elementary School as you’ve driven up 400 S. or perhaps stopped for their students crossing 900 E. in Salt Lake City. Located at 429 S. 800 E., Bennion is a Title 1 School in which 86% of the students are economically disadvantaged. That’s not the whole story: Students at Bennion speak over 19 languages and represent cultures around the globe, and their teachers have an average of 20 years experience accompanied by a deep commitment to the academic and personal progress of each child. But let’s face it, in these tough economic times, schools like Bennion and its students need help more than ever.

That’s why Sam Wellers Books has chosen to mount an Angel Tree for Bennion Elementary. Beginning in early December and running through the holidays, customers of Wellers will be able to support the educational mission of Bennion by choosing a star from the Angel Tree conveniently located on the Main Floor and buying the school a book (or two!). Each title on the Angel Tree will be a title requested by the librarian, teachers, staff, and students of Bennion. So you know the book you chose will not be a duplicate or go to waste. To make the experience as easy as possible for you and for Bennion, Sam Wellers will deliver all of the donated books to the school in the first week of January. And to make the buying as painless as possible, Wellers will discount all Angel Tree donations 20%.

Join us in supporting a worthy school full of students eager to read. Then, when someone asks you, “Is heaven missing an angel?” you’ll know it’s not just a cheesy pick-up line

Our store reviewed at Salt Lake Denizen

Lauren Dahl at saltlakedenizen.com has written a great review of our bookstore! Check it out!

Literary Weekend

I spent last weekend surrounded by books and memories. It was a lovely feeling, a bit bittersweet at times, but lovely nevertheless.

First up were the activities associated with the Utah Humanities Book Festival For us, the preparation starts months beforehand, when the booksellers who will vend at the event get together for the Author Lottery. It's a gathering akin to a sports league draft except that I actually care about it. Each bookseller arrives with a list of the authors she'd most like to sell at the event. Then we take turns choosing authors until every author who'll be joining the Festival has a store to sell his or her books. It's thirty to forty minutes of what probably seems mundane to many, but to us it's exciting. What happens during that time sets the stage for the Book Festival to come.

The Festival itself was enjoyable as always. What bookseller can rightly complain about being surrounded by books, their authors, and the people who love them? I so enjoy standing at our booth in the Urban Room of the Salt Lake City Public Library and talking with the passersby. I did disappoint one man who responded to my, "Let me know if you have any questions," with an actual question, "Is there a God?" I think my answer disappointed him. But the book related conversations I had were delightful, scintillating, heartening. It makes me happy when people tell me how much books mean to them; how their lives are richer; how much they've learned; how they laughed and cried. And it makes me just as happy to listen to Festival goers talking with the writers they know and love, and the ones they've just discovered. And there was a lot to love: from the immensely talented local favorites Sara Zarr and Shannon Hale to East Coast writers Dylan Landis, Jed Perl, and Edwin Torres. It does a bookseller's heart good.

This year the Book Festival concluded on Sunday with a presentation by Selected Shorts. Yes, they do leave Symphony Space once in awhile. Isaiah Sheffer and two of his talented actors read some pretty bleak Utah related stories to an auditorium of eager listeners. There was also a sing-along quiz during intermission. Envision, if you will an auditorium filled with a variety of voices singing, "Don't fence me in," after Mr. Sheffer sang, "Oh give me a land, lots of land, under starry skies above," and you get the idea. Actually, that was our best song. The responses to his other first lines were much weaker. We didn't know as much of the great american songbook as I thought we would. Oh the shame! While the stories were recorded for broadcast at a later date, I doubt the sing-along was — and you should all be grateful for that.

Sitting in that auditorium for the first time since I attended Sam's memorial service there was the bittersweet experience to which I referred. Tony used to call Sam and Lila on Sundays to tell them to listen to Selected Shorts. Sam would run the tuner up and down the dial and pronounce that he couldn't find it. Their radio didn't "get FM." But Sam loved radio. And he loved the writings of his friend Wallace Stegner. When the actors read two Stegner stories I couldn't help reflecting on how much he would have enjoyed being there. He would have emoted loudly, possibly at awkward moments, and provided a running commentary that would've driven the engineer recording the event wild. He would have embarrassed me. And he would've loved every minute of it.

Each year of the Utah Humanities Book Festival has a different mojo. While this one was a bit quieter than Festivals in the boom years, it was no less enjoyable. I found great books and made great some great memories. And as I walked out the doors on Sunday afternoon, I was already looking forward to next year's authors lottery.

A Little Sisterly Advice

We're just tickled pink that the one and only Sister Dottie S. Dixon will be stopping by the store tonight to celebrate the publication of her new book, Mormon Kama Sutra. Joining her will be collaborator and provocateur Pat Bagley. It's the 40th Anniversary Edition, you know, and it's hot off the presses. The books at our party will be straight from the bindery. They're $14.95 paperbacks and worth every penny. It's never too late, or too early you newlyweds, to add spice to your life.

For those of you who don't know Sister Dottie yet, check out this link http://www.sisterdottie.com/ and prepare to laugh. She can also be heard on KRCL FM 90.9 every Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.

Of course you all know Pat Bagley from his editorial cartoons in the Salt Lake Tribune and his Clueless George books. Pat's also the publisher of White Horse Press, a fine local business that we're always happy to support.

So come on down to the store between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. tonight (Friday Oct 2) and say "Hey!" to Sister Dottie and Pat, especially if you're going to the opening of The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon: Second Helpings at the Rose WagnerTheater. You'll double your fun.

Ah love!

On Monday a young man approached me with one of those bookseller's dream questions. No, he didn't want to buy all of our unsaleable stock, though that would have been nice. He came in on behalf of a friend who wanted to propose to his girlfriend in our store. She's a customer who loves us. He's a creative guy who loves his girlfriend. And, Brendan, his friend, was a willing and capable organizer.

The idea was that Brandon (confusing isn't it? They really are 2 different people), the hopeful boyfriend, would take Abby, the unsuspecting girlfriend, out to dinner. After dining, Brandon would suggest they go somewhere for desert and walk Abby down the street to our store. When they reached our store, Brandon would suggest they go in to browse. Abby would protest, knowing we were closed. Brandon would say, "Let's just see," open the door, and walk her inside our deserted store to find cheesecake and drinks awaiting. Then, they'd retire to the rear of the store to sit in an environment created for the purpose, watch a video, and Brandon would propose. How could I say no to that?

So last night Brendan and two friends began loading equipment into our store at around 6:00 p.m. A table, couch, video equipment, Christmas lights and electric paper lanterns were hauled in through the back doors. Lights were strung, video was set up, desert stashed. It took two and a half hours in all, and when they were done it looked so very romantic. I killed the store lights and we waited.

About 5 minutes before they arrived, we received a call that the couple was on their way. I unlocked the front door and hid under the cashier desk. Brendan and the boys hid on the balcony. And then a couple walked through the door, a different couple. Since I couldn't see them and didn't know what Brandon and Abby looked like, I was clueless. So Brendon shouted out that we were closed. As the confused couple left, Brandon and Abby approached. The other couple told them we were closed but Brandon and Abby persevered. After they got through the door and picked up their desert, I snuck around the counter, locked the door, went to my desk in the back rooms, and pretended I wasn't here. Waiting was agony. I was jittery and my stomach hurt. When they left, we got an all clear signal. None of us ever showed our faces while Brandon and Abby were in the store. It was their private moment.

I am happy to report Abby said, "Yes!" to Brandon's proposal. I watched the video while the boys tore down. It was dreamy: thoughtful, loving, romantic, hopeful. The whole set up was a fitting start to one of the ultimate acts of hope these days, the public declaration of love and an intention to forsake all others for that relationship.

We at WellerWorld were delighted to watch love bloom in our store yet again. It's always an honor to share moments like this with customers, one of the many things that makes bookselling rewarding. People get to know us and they include us in parts of their lives: relationships, proposals, weddings, births, funerals. And we are privileged in that inclusion.

Thank you and good luck to Brandon and Abby.