New owners of Ann Arbor's Booksweet take over community bookstore
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - For the second time in a decade, customers of a bookstore on Ann Arbor's northside are saving it from closing for good.
Formerly Bookbound, Shaun Manning and Truly Render purchased the business in 2021, when shops were starting to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They had a vision to continue the community store while also making it their own, including changing the name to Booksweet.
"I think what makes Booksweet really special and what we excel at is really nurturing a sense of inclusive belonging," said Render. "And I think that that is kind of the natural go-to for Shaun and I as human beings moving around planet Earth. But it's something that our readers have come to us and really appreciated."
Manning said they decided to sell because it fit their family's changing needs.
"We are really proud of what we've built, but as family needs shift, we found ourselves in a position — as a lot of working families do — that we had to do what made sense for us at this point in our lives," said Manning.
"We put the call out in May to say our shop is for sale," said Render. "We took a lot of meetings, and we had a lot of interest."
One of those meetings was with the Rhoden Thacker family.
Darcy Rhoden, her brother Louis, and their father decided to enter the venture with Darcy's husband, Casey Thacker.
"We saw the newsletter and saw that Booksweet was selling, and I called my dad and was like, 'This is my bookstore, and, like, it can't go away because there's nothing else like it in Ann Arbor," said Darcy.
"It's a huge passion for us," said Thacker. "Also, a big responsibility. We know that this is a place people come, and they count on this. They count on it for what they want to read but also for the type of people that are here — the people that come week in, week out, and support a place like this.
"We know that we need to keep it very well-stocked, we need to grow it, we need to make sure that we are inviting all of these wonderful people that are making this bookstore what it is."
For Louis Rhoden, it was a moment when a young customer made a purchase that solidified his decision to co-own the store.
"A young reader purchased a video game-based cookbook," he said. "And as soon as his mother paid for it, he kind of ripped it off the shelf and hugged it to his chest and was jumping up and down. And when that happened, when I saw that, I was like, 'This is home. This is it. This is what we're here for.'"
The new owners said it's those small moments, community feedback, the friendships gained and the diverse events that make Booksweet a one-of-a-kind shop.
CBS Detroit spoke to them ahead of the takeover, and they said they were approaching the moment with a mix of nervousness and excitement.
"Living up to what Truly and Shaun built here, that's going to be a tall order," said Thacker. "But we cannot wait, and we love it here; this is our community, so we can't wait to just keep building it and kind of taking their lead."
"Being able to meet with them and learn more about how they built this vision and what they want the bookstore to continue to be just felt like it was perfect for us," said Darcy.
According to Manning and Render, the feeling was mutual.
"We were so excited when we met with the Rhoden and Thacker family," said Manning. "How excited they were to talk about books. We left that meeting like, 'Oh God, I hope it's them.' Our baby's in good hands. We're really excited to see what happens next."
The Rhoden and Thacker families took over Booksweet on July 1.
Booksweet is located in The Courtyard Shops at 1729 Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor.