A Few Nibbles For R.J. Julia, But No Deal Yet; Roxanne Remains Committed To Keeping It A Bookstore

When Roxanne Coady sent out , the nationally renowned bookstore that is an anchor in Madison's retail district, it upset many who had a hard time understanding how the independent bookstore could go on without the woman who founded it 22 years ago and had become synonymous with its operation.

Many months later, the search for a new owner is still underway, and there have been interested parties inquiring. Clearly, change is inevitable. Still, Coady says, one thing remains constant.

"I will say this again and it's very important," she said Thursday afternoon. "Clearly it's an objective for this to stay a bookstore. No question about it. I won't stop until I find someone who can run it as a bookstore. And I don't have a deadline."

Experience, financial backing needed

Coady said she has received inquiries from people who have money. And she's received inquiries from people who would be ideal running a bookstore. "But the people who have money have never run a bookstore. And the people who could run a bookstore have no money," she said.

In the meantime, she said, "as anyone who's seen me with my staff will see, I'm hardly un-invested" in the day-to-day operations of the store while she seeks a buyer. While she does all of that, she is brainstorming ideas for properties she owns with her husband nearby in Madison at Station Square on Durham Road, which is connected by a walkway to the downtown retail district. One idea she is considering for Station Square is opening a

Coady owns both the R.J. Julia Bookstore business, and the building where it is located at 768 Boston Post Road. She has said she is open to offers for just the bookstore business, or the business and the building. The bookstore, which over the years has evolved into is often referred to as one of the four pillars of the downtown, along with the library, the post office, and Madison Art Cinemas across the street.

Decision of Madison Art Cinemas to stay is great news

The town received enormous good news recently when the owner of Madison Art Cinemas, Arnold Gorlick, announced he had signed a

After he made that announcement, another Madison entrepreneur, Asiye Kay, said Gorlick's decision gave her the confidence to expand the retail operation she had just opened next to the cinemas. This weekend, a new retail operation called Lily Juliet will be opening near the corner of the Boston Post Road and Wall Street in downtown, along with another store behind the main store called Lily Juliet, Too.

This is all good news for retailers downtown, many of whom will say privately that they struggle, particularly during winter months when business drops off. Some businesses have decided to move out of the downtown or close down. Sound Runner, next to R.J. Julia, closed in early May. Elite, a store in the Station Square complex, also closed in May. A and plans to close soon. Local business experts attribute these changes in part to the normal ebb and flow of entrepreneurial ventures, and in part to the struggling national economy.

Continuing to tweak the business

Another business in Station Square, While that left an opening in the Station Square complex, it was good news for the Madison downtown that another retailer was moving in, rather than a service business that might not help draw foot traffic.

While Coady searches for the right person, or people, to fill her shoes, she says she and her staff continue to tweak the business. Coady said she recently decided to carry magazines again. "We already have some in and eventually we'll have 60 to 70. We'll be providing a wide range of magazines," she said. 

Also, sometime later this year, perhaps as early as the fall, Coady hopes the store will be able to provide a service that can automatically print, bind and trim books on demand at point of sale. She said they had hoped to offer that by now, but that manufacturing difficulties have created delays.

Full slates of events planned for summer

The store has also has a full slate of events for the summer, including Luanne Rice, Amy Bloom, and Linda Fairstein. Other events include the extremely popular "Voices In The Bookstore," where a community of writers gather monthly to share their work and provide encouragement and support to each other. There's a Connecticut Writer's Night planned, an Ice Cream Sunday, and numerous children's events as well.

"We have a great June schedule and a great kid's schedule," Coady said. While all of that is going on, she says she will continue to look for the right buyer for the store.

"If anybody out there has any ideas, I'd love to hear them," she said. "I have two people who could run this store brilliantly. They just need a backer. They need the money."

And, just because some of us can never hear this enough, she repeated it: "This is a bookstore and it's going to remain a bookstore."