![]() The owners know children are the future of Changing Hands and the community. Children’s books and events are a vital component as well. ![]() They now host some 400 events every year-from storytime events for the kids to appearances by local authors and countless New York Times bestselling novelists, celebrities, rock stars, politicians, sports figures, and more. Over the decades, author events, workshops and classes have become integral parts of the Changing Hands experience. The current owners of Changing Hands are Gayle Shanks, Bob Sommer, and Cindy Dach.Ĭommunity involvement in the early days of Changing Hands included Community Music Nights and the Friday Poetry Readings which still continue today. They started hiring workers as employees and have maintained their commitment to fairness and inclusion with all the entire staff, recognizing that they make up the basis of good customer service. As some of the owners moved on to other pursuits, the group was reduced to a core group of owners. As the business grew, making decisions with a large group of people became complex and unwieldy. Later still, they broke through the north wall for another addition, and the store became a roomy 5000 square feet. The owners acquired an adjoining shop to the south a few years later, and ended up with books on three levels. In August of 1978-with the help of a human book brigade of customers and friends-they moved to a nearby location on Mill Avenue, with 1700 square feet of selling space on two levels. Our First MoveĪs the business expanded, the store outgrew its original 500 square feet on 5th Street in downtown Tempe. All employees were owners and decisions were made by consensus. Some also became co-workers at the store, which was originally set up as a worker-owned collective. Over the first few years they learned the business by trial and error, with keen attention to suggestions made by customers who soon became friends. Daltons, the chain bookstores of the day. The group had an eye toward self-sufficiency titles and books not readily available at Walden’s and B. Bob served as a part-time consultant for the first year, after which he came aboard full-time. Tom and Gayle opened Changing Hands on April Fool’s Day, 1974, with a little borrowed money and a large interest in books and community service. Since that store was losing its lease, the books were packed up until a new location could be found. A few years later their fantasy became a reality when Tom bought a small, struggling used bookstore for $500, which included books, bookcases, and an ancient cash register. Tom Broderson, Gayle Shanks, and Bob Sommer, all volunteers at an alternative school in Phoenix, found that they shared a common vision of working at a bookstore-a socially responsible, environmentally sound business that would also be a community gathering place. To keep up with all things Changing Hands, visit, like us on Facebook, or follow on Instagram or Twitter BEGINNINGS: APRIL 1, 1974Ĭhanging Hands began in 1971 as a fantasy in conversations.
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