Relocating Rock Hill Bookstore Names Maplewood as a Destination

The Book House bookstore, in Rock Hill, will lose its 150-year-old house to development, and it looks like Rock Hill’s loss may be Maplewood’s gain.

The old house will be demolished or moved, but either way, the bookstore business needs to move out, officially by the end of July.

Owner Michelle Barron said it’s not certain, but she’s looking at a Maplewood location. She said she’ll have an address by the end of next week.

“We want a storefront; we don’t want to operate out of a warehouse, that’s not the future of bookstores,” she said. “We want a place that people will want to come to.”

Barron said in the Midwest Independent Bookseller's Association Newsletter they have their eyes on property that would allow them to “capture the essence of the Book House" while allowing them to expand their operations.

The shop currently has books on three levels in the house, plus a warehouse and off-site storage. “Whatever space we have we’ll fill it,” she said.

She said the new location will allow them room to expand and hold events.

“We'll still have rooms full of books, it will still be a destination, and we'll still have the incredible selection we're known for,” Barron said in the newsletter.

She said the most important message is, “We are open, we are here, all operations are normal. We’re not planning on going out of business.” Their online store and phone number (314-968-4491) won’t change.

Employee Dave Simmons said when a decision is made it will take a while to move.

“You don’t move a bookstore in a day,” he said.