July 28, 2021, 2:29pm
Well, this is kind of heartwarming. A full quarter-century after shuttering his old store in Bloomington, Indiana, Rick Morgenstern has opened what suddenly becomes the state’s largest independent bookstore. The reboot of the eponymous store has been in the works for years and is reopening in a former Pier 1, of all places—as such, it is huge. According to this Herald-Times story, Morgenstern’s 2.0 will carry an ongoing stock of 50,000 books, employ 25 people at a time, and currently features a licensed café, with plans for a stage in the works.
To go so big so quickly Morgenstern relied on funding from four local investors, along with proceeds from a Morgenstern’s page at Bookshop.org. And to make a nice story even nicer, Morgenstern hired the guy who did renovations on the old place to spruce up the new store.
Look, there’s not a lot of good news this day, but can we all just be happy today for Rick Morgenstern reopening his bookstore?