FIRESTONE — A lousy economy and family ties prompted Jodi and Adam Parker to put their money on books, even as one of the largest retail booksellers was going belly up.
But the Parkers are using cheery optimism and a savvy assessment of the local market to build a niche in the Carbon Valley.
“We feel we’ve got the community behind us,” said Adam Parker, who used to build custom homes. “People want us to succeed.”
With homebuilding at a near standstill in southwest Weld County — and a special-needs child at home — Adam and his wife, Jodi, decided to invest in books.
“We did some research and found that used-book stores usually do pretty well,” he said. “They are recession-resistant. I wouldn’t want to say recession-proof.
“Plus, we wanted some stability and to be at home more often.”
The Parkers were also aware that the nearest bookstores — both used and new — are in Longmont or north Denver.
“We figured people are just tired of traveling to find a decent read,” Jodi said.
Both are huge readers, and Jodi used to teach English in France. In fact, the name of their store — Deja lu Books — plays off the French phrase “already read.”
The couple looked for a good spot and found a vacant flooring store in a small shopping mall just off of Colorado Boulevard in Firestone.
The location is ideal — it’s right next door to a Dairy Queen — and the rent is better than reasonable.
“This is a good time because prices are low,” Adam said.
Jodi began buying and selling books online about a year ago and, just before opening the store in December, started the couple hoarding books in their garage.
The store has about 15,000 titles, mostly used, but people can order new titles too.
Customers also can bring in used books for a trade credit and create an account that gives money back for every purchase.
The Parkers got a lot of their shelving from the Borders store in Longmont after the chain shut its doors nationwide last summer.
The Parkers think they can avoid that same fate by keeping their overhead low.
Jodi is also planning to open a movement and music class for small children in the back of the store.
They are also relying on people’s still -insatiable desire to read from an actual book.
“There are people who come in with lists of books they want, and sometimes it’s in the hundreds,” Adam said.
“They have a fantastic selection,” Dacono resident Judy Kimball said last week. “I could spend a lot of time and a lot of money in here.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
