LAFAYETTE, Ind. − Laura and Justin Kendall turn a page in downtown Lafayette, resume Main Street Books.
The couple originally planned to change the name to Second Flight Books, but they told the Journal & Courier on Wednesday that the layers involved in transferring a business from one owner to another are a priority at this time.
“Name recognition,” Laura Kendall said, pointing to a sign inside the store proclaiming those three words, “is important. Right now it’s Main Street Books.”
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Main Street Books, owned by Ted Malone, was previously run by Malone’s late wife, Tamzin. Tamzin opened the store in 2015, and now the Kendalls will take over the reins of the downtown staple.
“Ted, the current owner, had spoken to me,” Laura said. “He had come to my store a few months ago and we talked about a lot of things because, you know, his wife died last year. We talked about that and how life had been lately time.
“And he mentioned that he was considering selling to have a little more time to spend with his family…”
Laura and Justin approached Malone more seriously about buying Main Street Books, and now the weekend of August 13 is when the contracts are due to be signed.
Reception in honor of Main Street Books
At 5 p.m. on August 12, a reception will be held at Main Street Books to bid farewell and honor Ted and Tazmin Malone for their work downtown for nearly a decade.
According to Laura, Main Street Books’ future plans aren’t much different from what they are now.
“There hasn’t been a lot of new inventory,” Laura said. “So we’re going to be trying to get some new titles to try to freshen things up a bit. We think we’ll have a wider selection of new books because, I think with the downtown location, people would be excited to see new books and new releases in there.
“We’ll always have used books as well. But we’re just going to have a bigger selection of new books there. And just like fun gifts.”
The Kendalls hope there will be a maximum of one day when Main Street Books will be closed so that the transfer of physical and non-physical power can take place. Although contracts must be signed, credit card readers and other items must also be removed from the store.
Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.