Capitol Hill Used Bookstore to Reopen This Month

(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) A Capitol Hill used and rare book seller is slated to reopen sometime in the next few weeks for the first time in almost a year.

Riverby Books at 417 East Capitol St. SE, which opened in 2001, has been closed since its owner, Steve Cymrot, was hit by a car and killed in November. Paul Cymrot, Steve’s son, said the store is set to reopen this month.

“Right now, we’re just letting the paint dry and building new shelves and displays,” he said. “When that is done enough that people won’t leave covered in paint and sawdust, then we’ll open.”

Cymrot said he began to look into reopening the store this summer and hired Lori Grisham, a Capitol Hill resident who worked at the store for several years, to manage the shop. Cymrot said he and Grisham will continue to focus on rare and hard-to-find books.

“We realize that at the size we are we can’t carry every book,” he said. “What we can do here is pick very carefully and carry only books worth reading, things that are curated because we think they’re interesting and things we’ve never seen before.”

The store does not have any readings or events scheduled yet. But Cymrot said that he looks forward to hosting events in the future. He added that neighbors already have stopped by to offer their support while he puts the finishing touches on the store.

“Every day we’ve been in here working we’ve had people come up to the door and wish us well and ask when we’re going to open again,” he said.

Photo via Facebook/Riverby Books D.C.