Riverby Books in Capitol Hill

Photo by kkfea / Flickr

One of Capitol Hill’s most-beloved used bookstores is shuttering after 17 years consigning rare books, giving out dog treats to neighborhood pups, and serving afternoon tea for a loyal band of local customers. Riverby Books on East Capitol Street announced on Instagram and Twitter Tuesday night that it will close its doors at the end of the year. “Everything has to come to an end sometime,” the post reads, quoting L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqsu7rAhbfF/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=pdg2suxpqkq9

Riverby started out as a father-son enterprise in Fredericksburg between Paul Cymrot and his father, Steve, when the former was still in college, according to this Washington Post profile of the store. The Capitol Hill location opened up in 2001, but it was out of business for nearly a year after Steve was hit by a truck and killed in late 2014. It reopened in fall of 2015 and seemed to be thriving.

Riverby has another, larger location in Fredericksburg, which is where the store makes most of its money, according to the Post profile. But the enterprise as a whole appeared to be profitable as recently as last year: “I didn’t have any idea it would become more than a business and I would still be able to turn the lights on every day. It makes enough money that I don’t fool around trying to think about something else to do,” Cymrot told the Post in June 2017.

Cymrot has managed to make profits by selling valuable books he buys for a tiny fraction of the price he purchased them for; the store has sold a medical books owned by Confederate General Stonewall Jackson’s personal doctor, a copy of A River Runs Through It owned by Robert Redford (who directed a movie based on the book), and a copy of The Cat in the Hat inscribed to Ayn Rand from Dr. Seuss, according to the outlet.

Folks on Twitter are sad about this turn of events.

https://twitter.com/gbk7288/status/1067537984134803456

Filed Under: capitol hill, riverby books,