(COLORADO SPRINGS) — For the past 34 years, Gretchen Goldberg has brought hard-covers and soft-covers to the Southern Colorado community through her west side bookstore, Books For You. Now, she is turning the page on this life chapter, ready to enter into retirement.

“I would like to be able to say, ‘oh, I think maybe I’ll just go for a walk this afternoon or go visit my children who are not in town and not have to hurry back within a few days,” Goldberg said. “So that’s why I’d like to retire, is to do some of those other things, not be on quite such a regimented schedule.”

Like any good book, the impact of her business is felt by those both young and old, who now have to say goodbye.

“It’s just such a great place and it shouldn’t close,” said 9-year-old Ben Silvestro. “We just always come down here to get some new books and once you close this place, there’s not very many close bookstores around the area. So, we’ll just have to find somewhere else, so hopefully they’ll keep it in business.”

Ben Silvestro and his twin sister visited the store on Friday morning to pick out some new reads.

Silvestro and his twin sister carefully perused the shelves to find the perfect novel to bring home.

“[Reading is] a lot better feeling than screens and stuff like that and you’re just reading the book, it’s like just reading and silent, you don’t have to talk. It’s just like you’re in your own world.”

Most of the books come with a bit of love, some with creases in the binding or notes inside from their previous owners.

“People actually kind of like to see sometimes, especially in older books, somebody else’s name, Christmas 1952, things like that are fun,” said Goldberg.

Previously, people could bring in used books and trade them in for credit towards other books in the store, but now the business will be halting purchases, as they are trying to liquidate their inventory.

“We try to keep books that are in nice condition, but most all of them have been read before and it shows–some of them are really well loved and some of them we just say we can’t do it anymore,” said Goldberg.

Some of the books are filled with crease marks from past owners, and await for a new pair of eyes to spot them.

At the end of the day, the experience of holding a novel in your hands speaks volumes to transporting the reader to another world.

“I have people who say, ‘well picture books aren’t the same when you flip, flip, flip with your finger’,” Goldberg shared. “Instead of turning the page for the excitement of the next picture, I have people that just work with computers all day and don’t want to look at a screen for their leisure time as well.”

While the store was filled with customers on Friday morning, Dec. 22, Marc Williams described how the business goes beyond the bookshelves and hits the heart.

“It provides more than just books, it’s the whole experience, it’s knowledge, it’s the friendly atmosphere, it’s all of that,” Williams said. “I’m really hopeful that somebody decides to pick up and take the mantle and keep it moving forward.”

Gretchen Goldberg assisted a customer on Friday morning, she is the woman behind the whole book loving business.

It is possible that Books For You could still provide this experience to the community, which would be if an individual would purchase and take over the shop.

“Unless somebody comes in last second and decides to buy it, which I never rule out,” Goldberg said. “I’ve had some interest, but not somebody that was able to make it work at this point, but you don’t rule it out.”

A sign on the front window of Books For You reads retirement sale as all 64,000 books must go.

The store is located at 1737 South 8th Street on the City’s west side, and will continue having a sale until they officially close in February.

“Every book in the store is 15 to 20% off after New Year’s,” Goldberg said. “At some point, discounts will increase, and we hope to empty the store by sometime in February.”

While customers don’t want this chapter to end, they hope for a satisfying next step in Goldberg’s journey, and hope this plot line isn’t finished.

“I just wish Gretchen good luck in the future, and I hope that somehow this legacy can continue,” exclaimed Williams.