New name for a new space

Catherine and I are the third generation of Wellers to serve the community's interests by selling books. My grandfather, Gustav, opened the original store at the onset of the Great Depression. It was then called Zion Bookstore. My father, Sam, took over in 1946. Sam and my mother, Lila, moved the bookstore to 254 S. Main Street in 1961. In the 1970s the name became Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore. By the 1980s we simply went by Sam Wellers.

I have worked in the family bookstore since childhood. Main Street was a vibrant place throughout my youth but beginning in the 1980's it began to decline as a shopping district due to the proliferation of new suburban malls, increasing parking costs and some poor development decisions. Sales weakened for independent booksellers in the late 1980s and the 1990s as stock funded corporate booksellers fought for dominance. A bit later the internet and ebooks gave users new ways to get information once found only in books. Today all the foregoing is exacerbated by our troubled economy.

We value the long heritage of our bookstore. Sam Weller was a gregarious, energetic bookman whose reputation was known across the country. He was a powerful man and a dedicated father who had a giant influence in my life. But his energy hasn't been strongly felt in the bookstore since he lost his eyesight in 1997. Sam passed away in 2009. For all our love and respect for the bookstore we have been on Main Street, we felt that our new store -- designed and built by Catherine, our team and me -- wouldn't be, and simply couldn't be called Sam's anymore.

When we open our store in Trolley Square on January 6th, it will be known as Weller Book Works. For months we pondered how to preserve the family name while embracing a new identity that reflects our new location, our new style of bookselling, and our changed culture. We settled on "Works" because it is an active term and we're active booksellers. I've often said we're the proletariats of the book world. Works has good connotations. This works. Books work (without batteries and for hundreds of years). It works for me. We work for you. We like the industrial association and think it fits nicely into the old trolley garages into which Trolley Square has been built.

We're excited about our new name and logo. We're also excited about the new web site that will follow shortly. We hope you'll enjoy the bookstore that makes them meaningful.

Trolley Square photos

Here are a few photos of the space in progress. I'm sorry they're so dark. But the lights aren't installed yet so it's dark in there! Don't worry, they're shipping.


This is the current outside of our store. The entrances, upstairs and down, will be immediately west of the atrium off the 600 South entrance.














This was how the space looked raw. It hasn't looked like this since early October.















This is the area Tony refers to as "The Grotto." Those spaces are transforming into offices and a meeting room.















Interior framing. The Grotto is off the the left. The mezzanine is above The Grotto. Big pipes are everywhere.














Still to come: electrical/phones/data/lights, a staircase from the balcony, flooring and railings for the balcony, main floor staining & sealing, painting, installation of sales racks and counters (to seismic code specs), signage and the facade, plus myriad little things I'm forgetting right now.

Oh, and a clothes line. Yes a clothes line. You'll see.

We Speak to the Neighborhood Council

Tonight Tony and I will be attending the Central City Neighborhood Council meeting to talk about our move to Trolley Square. We'll be addressing how& why we're changing and how the move is progressing. We'd love to see you there.

Central City Neighborhood Council Meeting
Wednesday, September 7th 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

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.