After a strong finish to 2011, Mystery Lovers Bookshop in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Oakmont, Pa., is the latest well known store with a for-sale sign out front. Last week Roxanne Coady announced that she is selling 22-year-old RJ Julia in Madison, Ct.
“It seems like the right time. We had a hugely successful holiday season,” says Mary Alice Gorman, who cofounded Mystery Lovers with her husband, Richard Goldman, 21 years ago. “We’ve made a great start with e-book sales, and there are so many opportunities to be pursued that will require new vision, new hands, and new backs to exploit.” Goldman told PW that they want to spend more time with their grandchildren. In addition, he would like to expand his volunteer work with the Carnegie Museum of Art; Gorman plans to increase her involvement with the Carnegie Library.
Goldman and Gorman are continuing to move forward with store events like the 17th annual Festival of Mystery Festival featuring 39 authors at the end of April. It is one of the reasons that Mystery Lovers received a Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 2010. In a letter to customers, which was mailed yesterday, Goldman and Gorman wrote, “owning a bookstore was a lifelong dream for us and Mystery Lovers Bookshop has fulfilled every aspect of that dream and more.” The letter is part thank-you for customer support and solicitation for a potential buyer. “We think the buyer is somebody we know, someone in the area or a friend of someone in the area,” says Goldman. He and Gorman both plan to be at the store this weekend to talk with customers about the future of the store.
Goldman and Gorman haven’t set a deadline for the sale to be completed, although they expect to find a buyer by the end of the summer. The store’s lease expires in October, and the landlord has offered to renew it with a 4% rent increase.
