But Friday morning Murphy posted another letter, saying the store would stay open at 2852 Wilmington Pike, including the same retail floor space filled with about 200,000 books.
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“Staying open is possible primarily because of the landlord’s openness to renegotiate the lease. They realize that we are a benefit to the complex and to the community at large,” Murphy told the Dayton Daily News.
It took a lot of back and forth, but the parties came to an agreement, Murphy said in his letter. Part of the changes include cutting back its hours to six days a week. It will no longer be open on Mondays starting Sept. 16 and will also be limiting hours the days it is open. Customers will find polls posted on Facebook in the upcoming weeks to help determine if the store will open an hour later or close an hour early, Murphy said.
No employees are losing there jobs with the cuts. A couple employees graduated and started other jobs in their career fields and of the remaining seven or eight employees, all who want to stay still have a job.
Other changes will be announced in the future, Murphy said, but told the Dayton Daily News that he also plans to beef up the company’s e-commerce business. The Murphy family sells books on Amazon and eBay that are too valuable to sell at discounts. They also operate a subscription where families can buy a bag of children’s books for $15 a month. That subscription program will be expanded to include books for adults.
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Retailers in general have struggled with changing consumer habits shifting online, especially book stores as people continue using e-readers and audio books. Bookstore sales have dropped more than 34 percent since 2010, according to data from the American Booksellers Association.
Murphy’s books focuses on selling used books, having a constantly changing inventory. For every book bought, the store donates one to someone who needs it.
“Shopping local is important to our communities, but we think our store is a unique opportunity to find low prices, a great selection, and the knowledge that for every book you buy, we give one away to people that need them in our communities and around the country,” Murphy said.
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