Obituary: Warren Cassell

Warren Cassell, the former owner of Just Books in Greenwich, Connecticut, died on Friday, February 25. He was 80 years old.

Under Cassell’s leadership, Just Books developed a reputation for hosting an extensive array of author events that belied the store’s small size. Despite being 600 square feet, Just Books developed a loyal customer base that filled outside venues for monthly author events.

Diane Garrett, the owner of Diane’s Books of Greenwich, who worked with Cassell for four years before opening her own store, told Greenwich Time that “he loved to talk about books and he had a very dedicated clientele that absolutely wouldn’t shop anywhere else.”

Garrett also said that she was inspired by many of Cassell’s business practices, such as writing a store newsletter and being a “tastemaker.”

Cassell bought Just Books in 1978, following a 10-year career as a public school teacher. During the course of his long bookselling career, Cassell served as an ABA Board member.

He sold the store in 2002 and retired to Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Melisa Cassell, to be near his children. However, Cassell never really left the book business. After moving to Portland, he worked part-time at Broadway Books, shared title recommendation via  Goodreads.com, and, most recently, became involved with Operation Paperback, an organization that collects used books and sends them to American troops deployed overseas.

He is survived by his wife, Melisa, and children Santha, Paul, and Tobias Cassell.