Danville bookstore closing Nov. 20

DANVILLE – A prominent downtown corner building will be vacant starting in December after the closure of the bookstore that is its tenant.

Dragon's Horde, the only store in the city specializing in used paperback books, new and used comic books and gaming supplies, plans to close Nov. 20.

Owner Richard Garrison said business has fallen off to the point where the money coming into the store no longer covers his operating costs.

"It's a combination of a number of things," he said. "The recession has hurt, the store moved two times in one year and a lot of inventory was lost in the fire."

The store opened in the Holiday Square shopping center on North Bowman Avenue near the Holiday Hills subdivision in 1983 as Danville Book World.

Originally one of four comic-book and used paperback stores in the area owned by Jim Adkins, Danville Book World was purchased in 1985 by two of its employees – Kay Wilson and Barbara Dimmitt.

The business moved to a freestanding store that shared a parking lot with the strip mall. Garrison, who started working at the store in 1995, purchased the business in 2005.

Garrison moved the store downtown to 107 N. Vermilion St. in 2006 to give Danville Book World more floor space and better visibility.

On March 26, 2007, a fire badly damaged the building and wiped out the inventory in the store. Garrison re-opened the store under the name "Dragon's Horde" 10 weeks later at 101 N. Vermilion, just down the block from the now-vacant lot that had been its home.

While the move did bring in more foot traffic and some new customers, Garrison said Dragon's Horde was supported by the same core comic-book enthusiasts and used-paperback readers who had been coming to Danville Book World for years.

As the economic recession dragged on, Garrison said the comic-book sales remained steady, but the sales of paperback books fell and fell.

"This store would not have survived this long if it exclusively sold comic books or used paperbacks," he said. "Together, they provided a balance. But the books sales now are just too low."

Sales of paperbacks in the store generally go down in the winter. Garrison said most of his paperback customers are retirees, and he theorizes that many of them either devote more time to family functions around the holidays instead of reading or spend their winters somewhere warmer.

In any event, Garrison said he realized a few months ago that receipts have been steadily falling, and he was heading into his lean months.

"I decided two weeks ago that I could close the store now on my terms, or close it soon afterwards because I just couldn't pay my bills."

Signs in the windows state that the store is going out of business and will close Nov. 20.

Garrison said he hopes to eliminate all of the inventory in the store in the next few weeks.

To that end, he is no longer accepting used paperbacks for trade, but is selling all the paperback books in the store for $1 each. New comics still cost their face value, but collector comics are all $1 each. The gaming supplies, posters and trade paperbacks in the store are 50 percent of their marked price.

And Garrison said prices may drop more starting in November to help empty the store.

He also encouraged local librarians to contact him about taking any remaining paperbacks when the store closes, as long as their workers box up and transport the books.

Dana Schaumburg, executive director of Downtown Danville Inc., said she was sorry to learn the store would be closing.

"It's just too bad," she said. "It is a unique store that brought new customers to visit the downtown area."

Garrison said customers have been very sympathetic.

While he plans to focus on his freelance artwork and projects around the house after the store closes, he said he would miss the pleasures and heartaches that come with owning a small business and would especially miss the people he has had such frequent contact with during his 14 years with the store.

"I know this is a cliche, but the employees and the comic-book buyers and the book customers of this store are like an extended family for me," Garrison said.

He said he appreciated the support of his current landlord, Peter Blackmon, for giving the store such a great home and was grateful for the customers who have kept the store going for so long. He said he was sorry to have to close the business.

"I have thought about this and don't believe there is anything else I can do," Garrison said.

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