New bookstore opens downtown

The Get Lost Bookshop reintroduces literature.

By Kyle Daly

Published April 8, 2008

After enduring several months of a literary drought on Ninth Street, downtown Columbia readers can once again quench their thirst for the written word.

Get Lost Bookshop, Columbia’s newest bookstore, opened last Tuesday on Ninth Street.

The opening comes less than a year after the closing of two other bookstores on the same strip — 9th Street Bookstore and Acorn Books.

Get Lost Bookshop proprietor Meghan Gilliss said she wanted to keep downtown Columbia alive and thriving by having residents’ resources centralized. For Gilliss, literature is one such resource.

“I didn’t want to live in a place where a bookstore wasn’t a part of the downtown culture,” Gilliss said.

The shop, located near the corner of Ninth Street and Broadway, is difficult for pedestrians to miss. A window display featuring hardbound publications seated upon handcrafted furniture is sure to attract even the least literate.

“I want it to be a place where people feel comfortable coming in and just spending a lot of time browsing and looking at books, even if they don’t feel like buying one,” Gilliss said.

The store’s large glass windows reveal the tiny shop’s vibrant and cozy features. Studio lights illuminate the store’s red and orange walls, while an old couch with a flowery fabric design waits patiently for a weary customer’s visit. Potted plants, wooden tables and the sound of soft rock music playing in the background give the store its own identity — a place to “get lost.”

Gilliss said the name of the store was an idea that just popped into her head.

“That’s what I’m always looking to do when I pick up a book — it’s just to get lost,” she said.

Gilliss said because her store is quite small, she had to be picky about what books to sell. She said she wanted every book to be a good read and she wanted the reader to be able to gain something from the material.

“I’m staying away from romance novels and westerns and sort of pulp literature, with a focus on literature, history books, art books and thinking material — although I do appreciate good mysteries,” Gilliss said.

The majority of the books in Gilliss’ shop are used. People in the community donated many of the books, while others were obtained through buying and trading.

Gilliss, a 2006 graduate of MU, came to Columbia as an out-of-state student and decided to remain a part of the community following her graduation.

“I grew up in Louisville,” she said. “I came here to school about five years ago. I graduated and ended up sticking around.”

Gilliss’ shop opens nine month’s after the closing of Acorn Books and just more than a year after the closing of 9th Street Bookstore.

Ken Green, the co-owner of Acorn Books along with his wife Linda, was forced to close his bookshop after 21 years.

“All merchants, including Acorn’s, had to vacate due to the restoration of the Missouri Theatre Building,” Green said. Green was one of six merchants that were forced to leave.

The Greens still sell books online and have a satellite location at the Ice Chalet Antique Mall and Flea Market.

Get Lost Bookshop is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The logo of the bookshop features a black cat sitting atop a stack of books. The logo is a picture of Gilliss’ cat Ingrid. Ingrid, however, is not allowed to come inside the new store.

“She can’t really come here,” Gilliss said. “She likes to eat books.”