Gary Lovely to Join Two Dollar Radio HQ as Co-Owner

Gary Lovely, currently store manager at Prologue Bookshop in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, will head across town this September to Two Dollar Radio Headquarters, the bookstore-bar-café associated with publisher of the same name and located on Columbus’s South End.

Lovely will join Two Dollar Radio HQ as co-owner and managing partner, where he will steer the day-to-day operations of the storefront, and plans to bump the store’s inventory from 1,000 titles to 3,000. Additional plans include expanding events and store hours and increasing sidelines and collaborations with other independent presses—especially to highlight translated literature.

“Two Dollar Radio has been an important touchstone in my life since I moved to Columbus,” Lovely said in a statement, calling “the hyper-curated selection of books to the Cheers-like atmosphere of the bar and cafe” a “shining example of what it means to be a community bookstore.” He added: “It means an incredible amount to me to be trusted with such a legendary institution.”

In addition to his work at Prologue, Lovely is a board member of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, and has served as judge for the National Book Award for Translated Literature. A former PW Star Watch honoree, he is the founder and publisher of the Columbus-based indie press Harpoon Books.

“Gary’s become a great friend, sage advisor, and trustworthy book recommender since I first met him seven years ago,” said Eric Obenauf, cofounder and editorial director of Two Dollar Radio, in a statement. “When we opened HQ, we set out to stock books you may not find at an average shop, prizing an experience of discovery above a broad selection. Over the years, it’s become apparent that Gary shares our spirit of community-building through literature, and is keenly aware of the most exciting and eclectic books hitting the streets today.”