The Bookworm of Edwards begins a new chapter with a new owner who is a familiar face
Popular bookstore, cafe and community gathering space has been around for almost three decades
The Bookworm of Edwards/Courtesy photo
The Bookworm of Edwards has been a cornerstone community business in Eagle County for 28 years, with several stewards who have grown the business into what it is today.
Kathy Westover and Neda Jansen took it from its original mobile book van to its first storefront, while Kristi Allio and Nicole Magistro moved the store to its current location in the Riverwalk in Edwards and opened the cafe. Matt Lee bought the store in 2020 and saw it through a challenging stretch.
Now, a new owner is stepping in and taking the reins: longtime bookseller and manager Christopher Green.
In his time as owner, Lee made improvements that are sure to have lasting, positive impacts. During his tenure, Lee expanded the Bookworm team and improved employee compensation and benefits, ahead of state and industry standards.
Additionally, Lee steered the store’s expansion in 2023, adding 1,000 square feet to the storefront. The expansion enabled the store to add new sections, including romance and mystery, and expand its game offerings to serve the community’s ever-increasing demand for genre fiction, board games, and tabletop role-playing game supplies. The store also added a coworking area and seating in the kids section for the community to gather, work and read together.
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Lee is grateful for the consistent community support for the independent bookstore and cafe throughout his five years as the owner.
“I would like to warmly thank this community for all of its support over the years,” Lee said. “I am very grateful for my time as the owner and steward of this amazing place. Your support allows a truly amazing team of talented people to grow and thrive in a place they cherish. My family greatly adores the store, so we promise not to be strangers, and we will continue to be present in this community. We are looking forward to this next chapter.”
The Bookworm is turning the page to its next chapter, and as it does, there is numerical symmetry as Green steps into the owner’s role.
“Interestingly, this fall The Bookworm will celebrate its 28th anniversary, and I will celebrate my 14th year with the store shortly after that,” Green said. “I take a little joy in knowing both of these happen in the year I take ownership and that moving forward I can say that I’ve been a part of The Bookworm for more than half its existence.”
Like many, Green first visited the valley as a tourist. His family used to come out to Vail for ski vacations in the 1980s from Oklahoma. Then, after working at a summer camp in 2011, Green took a part-time job at The Bookworm. He has now been with the team for almost a decade and a half, finding a fulfilling career along the way.
“In the Bookworm, I have found friends, community, a life, and livelihood,” Green said. “I found a passion for the work of serving our community. I found an industry that forms one of the most important keystones of a free society.”
Green understands the importance of The Bookworm to the community it serves, and its function as a “third place” to people all across the Eagle Valley.
“Home and work/school serve as first and second places,” Green said. “But, most people have a need to find a third place: a church, civic organization, intramural sports leagues, or a local bookstore. These become the gathering places from which community truly emerges. The Bookworm is a vibrant small business that depends on our community to continue to thrive. But, it also serves that vital role of changing a collection of people in proximity to each other into a community. Maybe I’m being grandiose. I’m definitely biased. I ‘drank the Kool-Aid’ a long time ago.”
Lee is confident that The Bookworm will continue to thrive, as it has been through many different owners and iterations in its history, and that Green is the perfect person to lead the bookstore into the future.
“I am glad to be passing the baton to someone who is so passionate and knowledgeable about books, bookselling, and literacy, and who could not be more dedicated to the store’s mission and longevity,” he said. “Change is constant. This bookstore has thrived when faced with challenges, like economic ups and downs, a pandemic, and increasingly competitive online retail. Despite those challenges, we’ve grown and become more invested in our community every step of the way. I’m so glad that our year-round locals from Edwards and Eagle County and visiting community members from all over the world appreciate the value of supporting local independent businesses. We wouldn’t be able to do it without you.”
