Hole In The Wall Books, 40-Year Falls Church Mainstay, To Close

FALLS CHURCH, VA — After 40 years in Falls Church, Hole in the Wall Books will close its doors at 905 West Broad Street for good after August. The store, which offers new and used books, comics, records and more, will have its last day on Aug. 31.

Owners Edie Nally and her husband Michael are retiring to spend more time with their children and grandchildren. They haven't been able to visit the family together, as they've run the store.

"We've spent time with them together, but that's when they've come here," said Edie Nally, who received well wishes from customers in between an interview with Patch.

Until the closing, Hole in the Wall Books is having a 50 percent off sale. Comics will be available until Aug. 19, when a Maryland comic shop will come in to take those items. Books and graphic novels will remain available.

Hole in the Wall offers new titles and a steady supply of used books. Customers typically get store credit for used books, but the owners have also purchased used books from groups like the Vietnam Veterans of America's Northern Virginia chapter, with proceeds benefiting Vietnam veterans and the U.S. veteran community.

To get a sense of the close-knit relationship the Nallys have with customers, you only need to spend a few minutes in the store. One of the customers who walks in during our interview speaks of how he first came in when he was 14. Now he's 54.

Michael mainly ran the store for the first 20 years of the business, while Edie has taken over the day-to-day operations for the past 20 years. Now that they live in Luray, it makes for a long commute to the Falls Church. So what's made it worthwhile? "When my customers can find what they're looking for," Nally says. "Getting to know them and getting to know their children."

Hole in the Wall Books has seen senators, congressmen, aides to presidents and even a visitor from Mongolia. "I don't think there's a better place in this universe to have a shop," Nally says of Falls Church and the region.

Hole in the Wall Books is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends. Customer can expect to find Edie running the store any day except Mondays and Tuesdays.

Although the physical store will close at the end of August, Hole in the Wall Books will carry on. The Nallys plan on putting up books on an online book exchange at ABE.com. Before that happens, they're taking a vacation to see the grandchildren. If it weren't for those precious family moments, Edie Nally wouldn't mind sticking around to run her Falls Church store as long as possible.