It’s the last chapter for Pages Bookshop in Detroit’s historic North Rosedale Park. After a decade run, the independent bookstore is closing its doors.
Owner Susan Murphy announced in an email this week that she’s retiring at the end of the month, and so is 10-year-old Pip, the bookstore’s resident cat. Pages Bookshop — one of Detroit’s dozen or so indie bookstores — began as a popup in 2014 and then opened its brick and mortar location the following year along Grand River Avenue. Since then, Murphy has been on a mission to expose people to books and authors. She feels as though she’s done just that.
“I love my customers. I love this neighborhood,” Murphy, 68 of Detroit, told the Free Press.
Murphy picks every book that stocks the shelves of Pages Bookshop, ranging from fiction and history to political science and biographies. The neighborhood has consistently supported her, she said, showing up for events and shopping during Christmas.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to the community of readers that formed around Pages Bookshop. This community will be what I will miss most about bookselling,” she said in an email. “I’ve come to know you and your families. You’ve told me about births, deaths, weddings, and celebrations and all the newsy things in between. I will truly miss your visits to the store. Thank you for ten years of support and including Pages Bookshop in your life!”
Murphy said she is ready for retirement. Running a bookstore is a lot of work and she’s looking forward to spending time with her family and traveling with her husband. Meanwhile, Pip — the black-and-white cat that’s been living among the shelves of Pages Bookshop for about eight years, greeting customers and sleeping in her chair during events — will move into Murphy’s home.
Pages Bookshop is scheduled to close Jan. 31 unless someone purchase the store, Murphy said. She leases the space from the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp. Starting Wednesday, everything in the store will be 25% off. Murphy will contact customers who have orders on books with publication dates past Jan. 31.
Address and hours: 19560 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.