Prospects Good for Inkwood Sale

The news broke just last week that Tampa, Florida’s Inkwood Books is on the market, but owners Carla Jimenez and Leslie Reiner are optimistic that they’ll soon have a buyer to continue the bookstore’s integral role in the local community.

A few months ago, Jimenez and Reiner quietly announced their plans to sell in an e-mail to about 50 of their customers. Since then, several viable parties, including at least one very serious prospect, have expressed an interest in buying Inkwood.

After 20 years as a bookstore owner, Jimenez is ready to retire and is looking forward to volunteering, traveling, and pursuing other adventures. After much consideration, Reiner decided not to buy out Jimenez. “I could do it,” she told the Tampa Bay Times, “but it wouldn’t be as much fun.”

Until a deal is struck, however, it is business as usual for “the fiercely independent bookstore” in Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood. “Inkwood is a wonderful turnkey opportunity, with healthy numbers and no debt, a great reputation near and far, and supportive customers,” Jimenez and Reiner told customers. “We expect a new owner will continue what we started with a seamless transition. The take-away from the [Tampa Bay Times] column should be that this is emphatically NOT an obituary. It’s business as usual until further notice.”

While acknowledging that the past 20 years have not been without challenges and that change is a constant, Jimenez and Reiner said, “Independent booksellers from coast to coast are responding with vision, creativity and energy, and customers like you prove that engaged independent booksellers are important to their communities. We believe that Inkwood Books has a future beyond us, and we look forward to exploring possibilities with interested buyers.”