[ PW Home ] [ Bestsellers ] [ Subscribe ] [ Search ]

Publishers Weekly Bookselling

Villarosa Sells Store
Calvin Reid -- 5/1/00

After 16 years as the owner of the Hue-Man Experience, a Denver, Colo., African-American independent bookstore, including a stint on the board of the American Booksellers Association, Clara Villarosa has sold the store and intends to move to the New York City area.

The store has been sold to a trio of Denver-area childhood friends who had originally approached Villarosa separately when she first tried to sell the store about two years ago. Villarosa told PW that she was dissatisfied with offers for the store in 1998 and had decided to stay and move the store to a new location. However, the three friends banded together to make a group offer and the sale was completed in February of this year.

The new owners "are young, energetic and creative, and they're going to grow the store," Villarosa told PW. After 16 years, she said, she was simply "burned out. The store has more potential, but I couldn't do it. I held on as long as I did because I wanted to sell to someone that had passion for bookselling." Villarosa said she planned to move to New York City (she has two daughters there). And while she told PW she would like to continue to be involved in the book industry, she has no definite plans at this time.

The new owners are Kim Martin, 29, a former corporate financial analyst; her brother Darryl Walker, 40, a musician and choir master; and Joi Afzal, 29, a former corporate accountant. While the three had grown up together, Afzal told PW, she and Martin were initially unaware that they were all interested in buying the store. She told PW that the store will not be moved. "We've made some changes in the layout," she said, "added chairs and couches--anything to keep people in the store--and we added gospel and jazz CDs."

Afzal also said the store would be partnering with local businesses and schools to encourage reading and literacy. Because Villarosa was such a well-known bookselling figure, Afzal added, "We intend to be just as involved in ABA and the bookselling community as she has been."

Back To Bookselling
--->
Search | Bestsellers | News | Features | Children's Books | Bookselling
Interview | Industry Update | International | Classifieds | Authors On the Highway
About PW | Subscribe
Copyright 2000. Publishers Weekly. All rights reserved.