Paso Robles' Spare Time Books celebrates one-year anniversary since ownership shift 

Established in 1989 by Sharon King, Spare Time Books in Paso Robles was purchased in April 2023 by Carla Cary and Clio Bruns, who recently celebrated their one-year tenure at the shop with some festivities in mid-April.

"We have spent the last year transforming the space while honoring the spirit of the original bookshop," Cary said in a statement from Spare Time Books. "Our goal is to draw the community together and ignite peoples' love for books."

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• Photo Courtesy Of Spare Time Books

According to Cary, more than 170,000 community members and other individuals helped support projects at the shop during its renovation process through gifts and book purchases. Cary and Bruns were able to replace the original shop's bookshelves with built-in shelves along the store's walls and repainted the walls, duct pipes, door, and trim.

"People's enthusiasm helped bring our vision to life and made our dream a reality," Cary said. "We are honored to have the chance to breathe new life into this local treasure."

Alongside its used book offerings, Spare Time Books has a growing selection of new books, board games, and book-related merchandise, which Cary and Bruns plan to expand upon further, according to the release. The shop currently designs "mystery book boxes" on request for patrons who are interested in acquiring a mystery selection of books. Staff curates each box based on the customer's preferred genres and authors.

For more info on Spare Time Books and its offerings and upcoming programming (book signings, book clubs, kids events, and more), call (805) 237-1140 or visit sparetimebooks.com. The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and located at 945 12th St., Paso Robles. Δ