Wild Lark Books closing chapter on downtown Lubbock storefront

Lubbock's community of readers have one final month to visit a downtown bookstore, before this chapter of Wild Lark Books closes.

Wild Lark Books first opened its doors at 513 Broadway in December 2021. Brianne van Reene, owner, initially opened her bookstore/publishing business/venue to create a space for authors, readers, and the community as a whole.

"The moment you walk through the door of an independent bookstore, everybody in this place has some sort of commonality in the love of storytelling," van Reene said in an April 2023 article. "I think that that is so needed. And there's something sacred and special about that. Books and independent bookstores are a place of refuge."

More:On National Independent Bookstore Day, here are Lubbock's local shops, stories behind them

On Monday, June 5, van Reene announced via social media that the shop would begin a 30% off closing sale between June 6 and June 10, with a closing date of July 1. Online orders for books, ebooks, and audiobooks will be available through shop.wildlarkbooks.com, with free in-store pickup through June. She hopes to keep the online bookshop going in the future.

"Essentially, I can no longer personally sustain the high interest debt I incurred in getting the bookshop open," van Reene said in a statement to the Avalanche-Journal. "I'll have a sale through the end of next week, and then I'll see what the stock inventory looks like after that as far as liquidation."

She assured that the publishing side of Wild Lark would continue, but she does not intend to take on any more projects through June as she considers restructuring the intake of new ones.

In her Monday announcement, van Reene thanked the community and explained the situation.

"Small businesses are its people, and I simply cannot sustain the financial strain I carry from what was required to open it," the post stated. "For the last year and a half, I have been turned down by every bank, every organization, every attempt to try to remedy the situation – and believe me, I have tried so, so many and have had others try on my behalf (for whom I am eternally grateful) … but alas."

There is hope though, as van Reene mentioned she would be willing to sell the shop or accept a buy-in partnership to keep the business going.

"With that said, I am willing to sell the bookshop turn-key or accept a buy-in partnership to a precious soul who believes in the spirit of Lubbock and its stories," the post stated. "But a bookshop is a lifestyle business, as it should be. So, I believe this is a final thank you to everyone who has been so incredible and intentional in being a part of Wild Lark Books and all that it has meant. Thank you for your presence and your stories."