Granville's Reader's Garden Bookstore moving to former SteamRoller Bagel Sandwiches location
After nearly 18 years in its home on Broadway East, Reader's Garden Bookstore is on the move.
The store will move into the former SteamRoller Bagel Sandwiches shop at 115 N. Prospect St. in Granville.
The move comes after Ohio Ethics Commission wrote in a letter that bookstore owner Kim Keethler Ball could have to competitively bid to keep the shop inside its location at a village-owned building because she was elected to Granville Village Council in November 2021.
Previously: Granville council member could have to bid to keep business in village-owned property
Keethler Ball, who purchased the bookstore in 2019, said she began looking for a new space after village council discussed the matter at the Jan. 19 meeting. The lease on the 143 Broadway East location ends March 31.
"I think this is the best outcome that we could make happen," she said of the new location.
She said she's been friends for years with Jay Snyder, who owned SteamRoller and still owns the building. She said it's a plus that she now gets to work with him. Keethler Ball said she's signed a three-year lease for the space.
She said she wanted a landlord who understood the importance of the bookstore in the community.
"Jay fit that bill right from the start," she said. "I looked at a few other places and talked to other landlords but he really came out in that category, like, really well."
Work is underway to transformer the form bagel shop, which has about the same square footage as the Broadway East location, into a retail space, Keethler Ball said. That includes removing kitchen equipment, removing sinks, painting and so much more.
Snyder said clearing the restaurant equipment has been the biggest challenge with preparing the shop for the bookstore and there were a couple of moments where it looked like it was going to happen.
"But, you know, miraculously within the span of a few days, it all lined up," he said. "I'm thrilled to see that we were able to solve this problem."
Because the Reader's Garden is a longstanding community tradition, Snyder said he's excited his building can be its new home. He said before he bought the building, the space had previously been an art gallery, a video rental store and a barber shop. It's appealing to take the building back to its "retail roots," Snyder said.
"The idea of the town having a bookstore and, you know, some of those little retail locations where you can spend a bit of time and do some shopping and that sort of thing is something I appreciate about the town," he said.
Keethler Ball said she's hopeful the new location can be open April 1, a day that has sentimental value to her.
"That's when I became the owner of the store across the street and a previous job when I was a pastor," she said. "It's just a nice time of year where you can move around and people are walking a lot and I think it's just a good time to start something new."
Keethler Ball said she's grateful to all the people, including bookstore customers, who are helping prepare the new location.
"I’ve had friends come in from out of town to help and my family, but especially people from the community just stopping in hearing that we need to move and offering to help move books, move bookshelves, do whatever it takes to help keep things going," she said.
She said people have offered use of their trucks, dollies and even wagons to help move books from the former location. She said it means a great deal to her that people want to assist.
"I think it reflects how important the bookstore is to the community," she said.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Reader's Garden Bookstore moving to former SteamRoller Bagel location
