Historic Wilkie's Bookstore and Café to Close

The Dayton Board of Education's purchase of an office building in downtown Dayton will cause the permanent closing of Wilkie's Bookstore and Café, Ohio's oldest independent bookstore. Wilkie's occupies 3,800 square feet in the corner of the building owned by Reynold & Reynolds. According to press accounts in the Dayton Daily News, school officials want to use that space as a public meeting room when they consolidate the Board's offices there in a $15.5 million transaction.

Jim and Pat Latham, who purchased the store in 1999, have faced down adversity several times before and have expanded the bookstore in ways that creatively incorporated local history and landmarks. The Lathams owned another downtown Dayton bookstore, BookFriends for seven years until 2002. They purchased the historic Wilkie News from the now-defunct United Magazine Company three days before its scheduled closing in 1999. The store, established in 1894, was in great need of modernization and full of nonreturnable, old titles. Two years later, they desperately, but successfully, arranged for a patchwork of loans and grants to finance the renovation and expansion of Wilkie's. (To read more about this subject, click here.)

By March 2002, the Lathams decided to close BookFriends and concentrate all their stock, energy, and capital on Wilkie's. By the end of March, the Lathams had incorporated a classic aeroplane-building workshop into the store, involving the Dayton-based Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company. (To read more about this subject, click here.)

Wilkie's became a hub for those interested in the history of aviation and those curious about the on-site construction of the full-sized, working replicas of all six of the experimental planes designed by the Wright brothers.

The Lathams then began constructing the café they had always felt was necessary for the store's survival. They pursued their vision of recreating the restaurants in one of Dayton's oldest and best-known department stores, Rikes. Jim Latham had harvested many vintage items in brass, marble, and art glass when Rikes was demolished in 1999. Original menu items were resurrected and reconfigured for the new café by former Rike's food service employees. The 42-seat restaurant began serving breakfast, lunch, and ice cream in October 2002. (To read more about this subject, click here.)

As long-time participants in attempts to preserve landmarks and revitalize business in downtown Dayton, the store's ouster by the Board of Education really hurts the Lathams. Jim, who is unable to discuss Wilkie's settlement with Reynolds & Reynolds, is demoralized and dejected, to say the least. "I can't say anything specific about our agreement," he told BTW, "and you can't print anything I might come up with about this situation." He did say that Reynolds is taking care of them and that they must be out of the space by mid-July.

For Jim Latham, this spells the end of his bookselling career. The bookseller who once told BTW that he had "a history of tilting at windmills," is dropping his sword. None of his future plans include retailing. Pat, the majority owner of the company, is still on active duty as an Air Force Reserve officer. In her short hours off duty, she will try to help close up the store. Some of the Rike's memorabilia will go to the Montgomery County Historical Society. Everything else will be for sale at gradually reduced prices.

"I'm not the first bookseller to be displaced," Latham said, as he described the precipitous May 20 school board vote to buy the building, "Ours is just kind of a short time frame." --Nomi Schwartz