Park Hill Community Bookstore Passes 500-member Milestone
The Park Hill Community Bookstore recently passed the 500-member milestone, a significant achievement given the precarious state of independent bookstores across the country. The store, at 23rd and Dexter, opened in 1971, the same year another venerable purveyor of literature, Tattered Cover, was launched.
“For an operation of our size, it is pretty remarkable that we have so many members,” said longtime (1978) volunteer John Eberhardt, who maintains the membership rolls.
“We have some members who continue to renew even though they don’t purchase books very often, or don’t even live in the area any more. They just feel it’s important to stay connected to the community in some way.”
Eberhardt said the bookstore diaspora includes families in such distant lands as New Jersey and Alabama. Notable members include former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder and Colorado First Lady Helen Thorpe.
There are four levels of annual membership dues at the bookstore. Family memberships are $20, individual memberships are $15, seniors and students can join for $10 and sustaining memberships are $40. A membership includes a discount on every purchase (equivalent to sales tax), 10 book credits (20 for sustaining level) and the right to trade used books two-for-one.
State Senator Morgan Carroll will sign her new book, Take Back Your Government, at the bookstore on Saturday, March 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Carroll is the majority caucus chair of the Colorado Senate and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to David Sirota, radio host and syndicated columnist, “Morgan Carroll has written a book reminding us of a taboo truth: Our government can still work for us, as long as We the People force it to do so. If you want hands-on, how-to instructions about how to make your voice heard, and how to make real change, read this book – and then pass it on to everyone you know.”
The bookstore is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 303-355-8508.