This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sam Weller's bookstore soon may have a new downtown home.
Tony Weller, who along with wife Catherine owns the bookstore made famous by his father, Sam, is cautiously optimistic that they are close to finalizing a deal to purchase a new location.
"I don't want to say too much about it," Weller said. "Some weeks ago we also thought that we were getting close to signing a lease for a new location. And that [deal] went sour on us."
If things go well, Weller hopes to make an announcement about a new location before Christmas. "But we are going to have to remain in our current location through another holiday season."
Prompted by the bad economy and the changing nature of the bookstore business, the Wellers in March 2009 announced they eventually intended to move their store from its longtime location at 254 S. Main St. to smaller, more efficient downtown digs.
Considering the abundance of vacant buildings downtown, Weller said the task of finding the right location proved to be surprisingly difficult. Some property owners were hesitant to negotiate much on the price or lease terms.
Also, Weller said he remains torn between leasing space or committing to an outright purchase.
"For me, the idea of leasing kind of challenges the spirit, but it would be a little easier to deal with financially," he said. "In the back of my mind, though, I'd prefer to purchase a property, but that means there would be more expenses involved."
When they first announced their intention to move, the Wellers indicated they eventually planned to sell their share of the downtown David Keith Building that has housed Sam Weller's Bookstore since 1961.
In the bookstore's newsletter, dated Wednesday, Weller wrote that late last spring the couple sold their half interest in the downtown building to Allan and Rob Dahle, their longtime partners in the property.
"We had hoped to delay the less interesting news of the sale until it could be married to the much more exciting announcement of our new location," he said. "But we had started to get a few questions about it and decided that we might as well confess."
Darrell Tate, a retail specialist for the brokerage Commerce Real Estate Solutions, agreed that many retail property owners in the downtown area have been reluctant to bargain much when it comes to their space.
"You can't really blame them for not wanting to sell or committing to a long-term lease," he said. "Right now, everyone is looking forward to the City Creek project opening in 2012 and hoping it will result in some good solid improvement in the [retail space] market."
And Weller said in looking for a new location there are several conditions that need to be met.
"The monthly overhead is going to have to fit with our most careful sales projects, and there has to be free parking that I own," he said. "We'd also like to be close to the convention center, Temple Square, the downtown hotels and a TRAX station."
Regarding square footage, Weller said he wants enough space so Sam Weller's will remain Salt Lake City's largest independent bookstore. "So we're looking at a minimum of 10,000 square feet."