By the owner’s own admission, a “terrible business plan,” plus a lifelong love of books, just may combine to result in success for the newly opened Whampus Used Books store at 636 East Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland.
Owners Mark Moody and his wife, Betty Vail, opened the cozy shop and are still busy buying, sorting and pricing inventory. Moody says the response from the community has been far more than he had anticipated. He’s been inundated with calls and has been featured in local and national news outlets.
Moody has loved books since he grew up in Ohio in a home where a daily stint of reading came before outdoor play. He has studied communications and art history, owned three optical businesses, and currently sells advertising and writes for the North Forty News and conducts spinning classes at a local health club.
His love of books resulted in a two-year-long dedication to restoring books following the 1997 flooding of the CSU Library. “It was then that I realized that books have an intrinsic value aside from their contents,” he said.
The shop will feature books about Colorado and new books by local authors, along with a Native American collection, rare books and first editions. It will have a special focus on science, nature, travel, adventure, history, biography and religion. Patrons are welcome to sell books, either individually or in bulk.
Whampus Used Books, named for Moody’s favorite cat, is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call (970) 619-8238, or see the Whampus Facebook page at https://facebook.com/Whampus-Used-Books-108313893171360/