Andy Cross / Denver Post via Getty Images
Originally published on December 10, 2020 6:47 pm
Denver s beloved local chain founded in 1971 has been having a rough year. Several of its locations had to close temporarily because of the pandemic, making a massive dent in sales.
So this week, owners Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan announced the sale of the store to Bended Page LLC, a group of investors led by businessmen David Back and Kwame Spearman. Spearman, who is Black, will serve as CEO, making the Tattered Cover the country s largest Black-owned independent bookstore. They ll be guided by an advisory board that includes Oren Teicher, former CEO of the American Booksellers Association and outgoing Macmillan CEO John Sargent.
Tattered Cover bookstores have been in the Denver area since 1971; now coming up on their 50th year in business, a new group of Denverites hopes to keep the legendary bookstores going.
How many times have you ventured into a Tattered Cover? I think they re great: They re chock-full of books galore, a great atmosphere, events and Denver history.
According to
their website, the first Tattered Cover opened in 1971 in the Cherry Creek area with just two employees. It was in 1974 that long-time owner Joyce Meskis bought that first store and grew the company, up until she sold it to its current owners in 2015.
Tattered Cover bookstores sold to Colorado investors gazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.