Morris Book Shop, located at 882 E High St., is closing its doors permanently on Jan. 30, and will not be relocating. 

After operating since 2008, the shop was ready for a lease renewal, but owner Wyn Morris decided to give it up because of a dip in sales. He made the closing publicly known in July to ensure customers would have enough time to use their gift cards.

“You need a profit to stay in business and even very successful bookstores nowadays have low margins,” Morris said.

Morris Book Shop was originally located in a smaller building on Southland Drive. After business at the store took off, they relocated in 2011 to their current location because of a need for more space. 

“It was a good move rent wise, surprisingly, it wasn’t much more expensive and worked out well,” Morris said.

Morris takes customer service seriously because he feels that it’s the best way to keep customers coming to a bookstore to purchase a book rather than downloading one, the owner explained.

“People’s reactions to the news of the closing has been humbling. Locals, visitors and more have reached out to us the past few months to let us know how much the shop has meant to them. It’s bittersweet,” Morris said. 

“The way people feel about the store has reached beyond the degree I had hoped for,” Morris said. “It used to be just a dream, but I wanted to do this thing, and I’m overwhelmed with the outcome.” 

He views the last almost nine years as successful.

Store manager Jay McCoy will potentially be opening up his own bookstore this upcoming summer, according to Morris. McCoy is a writer and a poet, and he is looking into creating his own atmosphere for book lovers, which may include a café.

The books in the store will soon be put on sale. After closing day, the remaining books will either be sold online or donated.