Ahead of the store's 50th anniversary, Chaucer's Books in Santa Barbara has new owners.
"And then here is our history isle, which Greg and I met in," said Jen Lemberger, the bookstore's new co-owner.
Twenty years ago, Lemberger and Greg Feitt worked at Chaucer’s Books.
"I specifically traded sections with someone so that I could also shelve in the history aisle because Greg was already shelving there," explained Lemberger.
"Yeah, I had no idea. I just didn't realize," Feitt, the other co-owner, said.
Their love of books sparked a romance of their own. Now together, they are turning the page on Chaucer’s own history by taking over ownership while keeping the store’s legacy.
"Chaucer's is a very special place. It does a few things really well, and we want to continue to maintain that," Feitt said.
In 1974, Chaucer’s was opened by Mahri Kerley, now in her 80s, who grew the store into a neighborhood treasure.
"150,000 books in the store or something like that. There are a lot of books in here," Feitt said.
Buying the store was a decision the couple considered for several years, and with Kerley retiring, the time was right, so they jumped in.
"There's fiction, there's mystery, there's art, there's poetry, there's literary criticism, essays, a lot of nonfiction, a lot of local stuff," said Feitt.
"There's a book for every person and for every person there's, there's a book," Lemberger said.
And at its core, "It’s really the people, both the staff and the customers are fascinating to talk to every day and a joy to see," said longtime employee Paul Rail.
Lemberger and Feitt hope to inspire the next generation of neighborhood readers.
"Reading is such a core element to successful understanding and community. To do that on an individual level and hopefully a broad community level is such a joy. It's such a privilege to be able to do," Lemberger said.
Chaucer’s Bookstorewill celebrate its 50th anniversary with an event in November.
