It’s time for new owner Keri Thomas-Whiteside, left, to turn the page at Westside Stories Used Books, 398 Grant St. at the corner of Garner Street, as she checks out the first customer, Lucy Waite, at the reopened bookstore. After being closed for six weeks due to the ownership change, the West Side bookstore reopened on Nov. 5. Thomas-Whiteside and her husband Bob Whiteside, West Side residents, are the new owners and had been regulars at the bookstore for several years. “Making sure it stayed on the West Side, that it stayed local, we just wanted to make sure we kept it in good hands,” Thomas-Whiteside said. Thomas-Whiteside said that it is very personal to her and the West Side community. “We were all part of it in a way,” she said. “We sold books there, we were customers there. In the early days, there were times that there would be an emergency and I would go in and run the store." Bob Whiteside said that it is important to keep the bookstore on the West Side for the community. “It’s a big thing for the neighborhood. Available books for everybody,” he said. “All different kinds of genres, definitely with an eye on the neighborhood and people walking and coming by.” Most of Westside Stories’ books are under $10, Thomas-Whiteside said. Hours for the store are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays. By Jason Guth and Kyle Wekenmann
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| Westside Stories, Grant and Garner streets |
