New owners prepare to take over independent bookstore on Ann Arbor’s north side

ANN ARBOR, Michigan. – A new family will soon be running the north side bookstore, Booksweet.

The independent store on Plymouth Road went on sale in May when co-founders Truly Render and Shaun Manning decided life was taking them elsewhere.

Sweet booksThe new owners are husband and wife Darcy Rhoden and Casey Thacker, Rhoden’s father Del Rhoden, and brother Louis Rhoden.

“I have been a Booksweet customer for years and am excited to keep Booksweet in Ann Arbor. It’s a very special place for us. We look forward to building on what Shaun and Truly have created and continuing to engage with the community we live in,” Darcy Rhoden said in a statement.

The Rhoden/Thacker family will take over the store on July 1st. It was sold turnkey and includes training for new owners, so readers can continue shopping and using their Booksweet gift cards.

“We announced the store was up for sale on May 1 and we have been blown away by the response from so many interested buyers,” Manning said. “We knew we had found the perfect match when the Rhoden/Thacker family started talking about the books they were currently reading. They love books the way our readers love them: books that are informed but also accessible and fun. »

Nothing will change in the brand image, name and values ​​of the store, according to a press release.

“We also appreciated the Rhoden/Thacker family’s willingness to meet with our community programming partners and forge their own deep relationships. Booksweet has become known as a place of true community connection. When you shop here, you’re investing in yourself and others – and the new owners truly celebrate that philosophy,” Render said.

Visitors to Booksweet will see the new owners in the bookstore during their training in June.

Learn more about the new owners here.