14 OCTOBER 26-NOVEMBER 1, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Making Book TEN WAYS TO SAVE THE TATTERED COVER. BY TEAGUE BOHLEN The story of Tattered Cover over the past few years has been a real page-turner, with this week’s fi ling for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pro- tection just the latest chapter. The fi nancial situation is a serious blow to a local brand that’s become a legend over the past half- century. Under longtime owner Joyce Mes- kis, it gained a national reputation not just for its well-stocked and welcoming stores, but for Meskis’s fearless support of the First Amendment. After she surrendered ownership in 2015, though, Tattered hit hard times, changing hands twice as it weathered the pandemic and trying different ways to stay retail-relevant in the shadow of the market juggernaut that is Amazon. The bankruptcy reorganization is just the latest move; three of the seven stores will be closed (two locked their doors this past weekend), and a loan approved by the judge will allow the remaining stores to be restocked. “We will be watching,” said U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Romero. “This is an icon in this town, so it’ll be interesting to see.” But an interested judge isn’t all that’s needed to save Tattered Cover. Here are ten things the company can do to keep its doors open, and those pages turning: Keep Shelves Stocked Faithful customers have been noticing that there aren’t enough books on the shelves, and that too often the books that are sup- posed to be available at specifi c locations just aren’t...or take far too long to arrive if you order them. “We have a lot of customers who want to buy books, but we don’t have enough books to sell them,” says Tattered CEO Brad Dempsey. That’s a serious prob- lem: We can’t buy books that aren’t there to purchase. But this issue is already being addressed: Inventory from the closed stores will be moved to the remaining locations, and a loan approved by the judge will allow Tattered Cover to immediately use $350,000 to cover holiday stock. Re-Champion Local Lit Tattered used to be the place Colorado au- thors were spotlighted along with their work, but in more recent years, writers had to be with major publishers to score a reading. Big author events are great, and Tattered always did them well — but loyalty is built from the ground up, and writers at every publishing level deserve their time in the spotlight. Denver writers bring in Denver readers. Tattered Cover used to be the place that carried that fl ag most proudly, and should be again. Honor Joyce Meskis When new mayor Mike Johnston took office, Westword editor Patricia Calhoun suggested ways that Denver could get its mojo back — and one was to improve the Mayor’s Award for the Arts by add- ing an honor in the name of Joyce Meskis. She loved free speech as much as she loved literature; she fought book-banning efforts and was so protective of her customers’ First Amend- ment rights that her refusal to share their purchasing records with law enforce- ment authorities went all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court. Tattered doesn’t have to do all the work on creating this award, but a few nudges would be welcome. Embrace Worn Hardwood Part of Tattered’s charm was that it was cozy, even in the huge spaces in Cherry Creek and on the 16th Street Mall that stores once inhabited. Tattered felt old-world, with architectural touches to match. The McGregor Square location did away with all that when it replaced the gorgeous old downtown property; to its own detriment. With its more modern design, all the glass and stainless-steel trim, it looked more like a 1990s Barnes & Noble than the Tattered Denver has grown to love over the decades. But now the McGregor store will close by the end of October, and Tattered can return to its old-school decor. Bring Back Bargain Books One of the things people loved about the old Tattered was its bargain shelves — it’s easier to give a book a shot when it’s available for a little less scratch. Yes, those bargain areas take up valuable real estate in terms of retail space, but the emotional return on invest- ment is worth it. Bring Back Magazines and Enhance Browsability We miss the magazines, and places to read them! Tattered Cover used to have chairs in every section where customers could skim a magazine or book while sipping some coffee or tea. Not only are the magazines largely gone, but so are the places where you could sit and read them, which makes the store seem less friendly. Support Employee Participation Tattered Cover used to be known as a great place to work; that shifted in recent years, as employees reported feeling less involved and less respected by the new owners. And that feeling came through in the customer service that was once one of Tattered’s greatest assets. People work at Tattered because they love books, fi rst and foremost: Give them more freedom to share opinions with management and recommendations with readers. Make that relationship between employee and customer central to the new business strategy. Forget Aggressive Expansion A few years ago, Tattered’s new owners adopted a variation of the ice- harvesting plan — when refrigeration became avail- able to the average consumer, most ice har- vesters kept their focus on improving their ice farming and preservation methods, not recognizing that the need for their product itself was draining away. But the current management of Tattered Cover has realized how dumb — and expensive — big expansion turned out to be, and has jettisoned both the Colorado Springs and Westminster stores that opened in 2022. Now it’s focused on its core store on East Colfax, as well as satellites in Union Station, Stanley Marketplace and Aspen Grove, all places where it can focus on community and restore its reputation as a local destination for book-lovers. Better to be a big fi sh in a small pond...than a small, dead fi sh in a new-retail ocean. For the Love of All Things Paginated, Don’t Move Again While closing the Cherry Creek store al- lowed Meskis and company to actually own space at the Lowenstein complex, people still miss that store. The Fourth Story restaurant was wonderful. The grand staircase was indeed grand. The East Colfax location has the potential to be just as impressive...as long as Tattered doesn’t abandon it, as it did the historic LoDo spot. By embracing this loca- tion as a true fl agship,Tattered could chart a course for future success. Make Us Want to Shop There Again It’s the simplest of rules: If customers sup- port a store with their business, it has a strong chance of survival. Denver’s book lovers will have to decide what’s more important: saving a few bucks, or saving a city icon. It’s up to Tattered Cover to support us all in making the right choice. Email the author at [email protected]. CULTURE KEEP UP ON DENVER ARTS AND CULTURE AT WESTWORD.COM/ARTS The McGregor Square Tattered Cover will close on October 28. TEAGUE BOHLEN
