We’re staying.
Those words adorn a banner that drapes over the mezzanine inside The Dusty Bookshelf.
Owners of the long-standing Aggieville bookstore will not close in the spring as previously thought, after their lease was recently renewed for another year. The company celebrated the announcement in a social media post Thursday. Owner Diane Meredith says she had spent a few hours that day packing books to potentially take to their Lawrence location when she received a phone call from her landlord.
It’s a turn of events from July, when The Dusty Bookshelf announced the real possibility of closure after Meredith announced their rent would be “multiplying” at the end of the store’s lease agreement. While the rent is still going up, it’s something the bookstore can absorb. Meredith says it also buys them more time to determine a long term plan for the bookstore and to find ways to share their space with the community.
As for what happens beyond next year, that’s a new chapter for The Dusty Bookshelf to write.
At one point another undisclosed business expressed interest in the site, but plans to acquire the space eventually fell through. Meredith says they are grateful to the community for continued support throughout.
The Dusty Bookshelf has been in Aggieville since 1985, closing for an extended time after a 2017 fire. The space was renovated and reopened in 2019.
