12 JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | pate in many of their TC-sponsored events. So I have a lot of fondness for the place. Obviously, we don’t know how it will be affected by B&N’s acquisition, but I know that a lot of locals are upset about the change of ownership. Jill Carstens, Getting Over Vivian After college, I lived in Capitol Hill and would often fi nd myself riding my bike over to First and Milwaukee to get my TC fi x. Who would have thought that books would become sexy enough to justify a four-story building in a high-end part of town? Sexy, but so welcoming in its conviction of “Everyone gets to read.” I discovered new worlds while wandering Tattered Cover, my own version of an affordable staycation. I would spend hours there, sometimes with my then-boyfriend, John. We would sit side by side on that green carpet poring over pages and pages, ultimately heading to the cashier with a stack to take home. That place just kept giving back. Not long ago, I was at the Colfax location, and a memory of John bubbled up in my brain as I headed to the cash register desk. I had an urge to look for him, just in case. What do you know? I didn’t search long. There he was, in the children’s section, juggling his two young daughters…what a full circle. I will take that as my fi nal memory. So sad to see this legacy vanish with so many other icons of the city… kind of like losing a grandparent. Phil Goodstein, The Scenic History of Denver Cemeteries Tattered Cover never recov- ered after it was pushed out of its Cherry Creek North location. At its new home, along with its lower downtown branch, it in- creasingly cut back on its stock whereby both the Colorado Bou- levard and 16th Street branches of Barnes & Noble had a better stock than did Tattered Cover. This had the effect of driving away people who wished to browse in a wonderland of books. Political correctness has been a thorn at Tattered Cover under the Bended Page, the part- nership that bought the store from Vlahos and Gilligan. It was never clear that the chief part- ner, Kwame Spearman, wanted to restore Tattered Cover to its grandeur or advertise himself as a successful Black capitalist while promoting his aspiring political career. All the while, Barnes & Noble has become an ever-growing monopoly that increasingly grabs all aspects of the book business. Its takeover of Tattered Cover is another way Denver has repeatedly sold its soul whereby the community is owned by outside banks, utilities, department stores, and now, bookstores. Stephen Graham Jones, Don’t Fear the Reaper I’m just glad Tattered Cover is going to keep going. Here in Boulder a while back, our amaz- ing hardware store McGuckin’s somehow, for reasons I don’t know, sort of became an Ace Hardware for a while — could have been a similar situation, where a big indie shades over into corporate? But it was still “McGuckin’s.” Some of the aisles changed to fi t some other pattern, but the same stuff was still there. Only big difference was you now had an Ace Hardware loyalty account. The green vests and the service and the intangibles and peculiari- ties we all knew and loved were intact, though. Guessing that’s what’s going to happen here with the Tattered Cover. I’ve been doing events and going to events there for better than fi f- teen years, and, of course, shop- ping those shelves the whole time as well. I’m always jealous of the people who remember other, earlier versions of the store, too — that Cherry Creek fl agship location, right? For me, though, the version since 2008 is the version. I’m guessing for people moving to town next summer, this new Tattered Cover, which should have a lot of continuity from what it’s been for so long, will be the version. Places change, it’s natural, but the character persists. And mostly, I’m just glad I can still go to Tattered Cover and run my eyes along all these books and fi nd people I know and new stories to lose myself in. As for McGuckin’s, I’m actually not even sure anymore if it’s still Ace Hardware or not. It’s just McGuckin’s, now and, hopefully, always. Michael Henry, poet and executive director at Lighthouse Writers Workshop I’ve always absolutely loved the Tattered Cover ever since we moved to Denver in 1997. It’s been diffi cult to watch the bookstore try and weather the challenges it’s faced, and at times I’d hoped that someone would reach out for advice, or at least commiseration. I’m certainly not an expert in retail bookselling, but it was clear to me that TC had strayed from its true mission as a place for folks who love books to connect — with one another, with authors, and with the often unexpected and alchemical ways that independent book- stores encourage new discoveries to happen, whether it be new authors or under-the- radar books. What I hope is that Barnes & Noble truly understands what a jewel the Tattered Cover is, and how it brings much more to Denver’s culture than merely sell- ing books. It’s one of those rare institutions that makes Denver interesting and brings us to- gether — in words and stories. David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts The Tattered Cover has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. In my view, any transaction that allows it to continue is a positive one, especially in light of the clos- ing of other bookstores in the Denver area. Furthermore, it’s my understanding that Barnes & Noble has transformed its business model and is now very community-focused. So, I’m in favor of the sale, and I wish TC many more decades serving our literary community. Gregory Hill, East of Denver After suffering a long period of illness, the patient has been removed from life support. Erika Krouse, Tell Me Everything I used to treat the Tattered Cover like it was my private reading room, sitting in the armchairs for hours and read- ing book after book, only able to afford one or two. You could ask staff members impossible questions — “What’s the name of that novel with a pet monkey in it?” — and they always knew. NyQuil-green carpet, the smell of paper, the love of books.... I saw Mary Oliver do a standing-room-only reading there, and people randomly shouted out poem titles as requests: “Wild Geese!” “The Summer Day!” I just can’t imagine these things happening at a large retail chain. James LaRue, On Censorship My fi rst introduction to Tattered Cover was at its Cherry Creek location. I think the store, back then, had something like 150,000 titles. While browsing, I often ran across political luminaries like Gary Hart and Dottie Lamm. When we opened the Highlands Ranch Library in Douglas County, we asked TC founder Joyce Meskis to speak, and we acknowledged our attempt to capture the homey, rocking- chair-and-comfy-couch atmo- sphere she pioneered. Since Joyce’s death, it’s been pain- ful to watch TC’s struggles. I’m hoping that the Barnes & Noble purchase will provide stability and sustainability for her legacy. Bobby LeFebre, Colorado Poet Laureate Emeritus If Denver is anything more than what it is becoming, it is a graveyard to what it’s been. The sale of Tattered Cover to Barnes & Noble is unfortunate but on brand. What’s sad is that the sale price is comparable to some of the houses on my block. Running an independent bookstore in the age of rampant consumerism and unholy tech- nological dominance is no small feat. It requires an unwavering love for literature but also a resilience against the onslaught of machines like Amazon, which reduce books and literature, and therefore writers, to mere commodities. The Tattered Cover was more than a bookstore to many. It was a community, a shared experience, a testa- ment to the power of human connection through stories. I don’t know what we hold sacred anymore. The machine keeps digging its teeth into the heart of our institutions. The dust of the debris rises into the air like a last breath — the jettisoning of life once contained in a body. A whole soul being carried away in the body bag of transaction. Liz Prato, Kids in America: A Gen X Reckoning It’s been kind of like watching a beloved acquaintance struggle with a chronic illness for the last several years. They’d have periods of remission and it would seem they’d been saved, but then the illness would eventually re-emerge. It’s hard to know if Barnes & Noble represents the cure or the death of Tattered Cover. I’m a huge fan of indie bookstores — my husband has worked at one for over twenty years — so I don’t take this lightly. But I do know that there’s a difference between one small indie storefront, like TC was when I was a kid, and an indie that has several large locations. They operate more like big busi- nesses, and it seems recent owners weren’t prepared for the full scope of that. Maybe B&N can make Tattered Cover thrive again. David R. Slayton, Dark Moon Shallow Sea I hate losing an independent space, but I also think it’s important that they survive as a brand. They’re a touchstone in the community. I hadn’t even moved to Denver when I fi rst heard of the store. Someone in Culture continued from page 10 COURTESY BOBBY LEFEBRE The Tattered Cover’s story inspired a book. Poet Bobby LeFebre says that Tattered Cover was a community more than a store. TEAGUE BOHLEN
