The Collegian

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News

Media Credit: William Clayton Volume One Books reopened Monday after being closed for several months. Twenty-year employee Aimee England will no longer be employed with the local book store.

Volume One Bookstore reopened this Monday after shutting down in early November.

The used bookstore, located at 98 N. Broad St., is now open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Owner Richard Wunsch is now running a second business, Wooden Spoon Books and Coins, in the same building.

He said he plans to buy U.S. silver coins and invest them.

"There have been coin stores in Hillsdale that didn't last, but I think that with the combination it's worth a try, having the bookstore and the coin shop in the same location," he said.

The bookstore's November closing brought disagreements between Wunsch and manager Aimee England. Wunsch said the business had run out of money, but England said she wasn't sure because the bookkeeping was not kept up to date. For a month, the building wasn't heated. The two negotiated that England might buy the business from Wunsch, but they did not reach an agreement. The two had a payroll dispute as well.

England, who was employed with Volume One for more than 20 years, no longer works for the bookstore.

Between the partial closing in November and the February reopening, Wunsch kept the bookstore open for a few hours every Monday and drove a taxi in Ann Arbor.

"We've been doing a fair amount of business that one Monday so I was able to get the heat back on," Wunsch said.

Wunsch said a clerk came back to work part time, and a friend talked to him about using some space in the bookstore for his coin business. Wunsch decided it would "take some pressure off" the bookstore.

"In the current times there's a real need for resale shops, for secondhand shops," he said, making reference to the Salvation Army and New To You stores nearby. "We have at least got finances in order well enough … It just seemed like the right time."

"People need somewhere to go and see friendly faces smiling at them, especially in today's world," customer Jude Colon, 18, said.

"I just hope they keep it open," her father, Rev. Rob Colon, 54, said.

Wunsch said he has no immediate plans for the second floor, which used to be a dance studio. He has been toying with some ideas, however.

"We've got a lot to do up there," he said. "Karaoke sounds like it would be good up there."

David Kohli, 44, has been working at Volume One for at least a few years.

"[Wunsch] has a lot of good ideas," Kohli said, "but it's just [about] getting him the swift kick in the butt."

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