Johnson County’s beloved Rainy Day Books has new owners. Some are also loyal customers

After nearly 50 years of operations, beloved local retailer Rainy Day Books went up for sale in May.

Founder and president Vivien Jennings — along with her life partner, Roger Doeren, who is chief operations officer — want to retire and spend more time with their family and friends.

Now they have a buyer.

The owners of Made in KC retail shops are teaming up with a group of longtime loyal customers dubbed the Friends of Rainy Day Books (16 at current count but more want to join). They plan to complete the deal in November. The purchase price was not disclosed.

But the Jennings family will still be involved.

“I’m really, really excited because our highest priority was continuing our legacy of literacy. We had the assurance, full-force, from the folks at Made in Kansas City that they are continuing that,” Jennings said. “I admire their entrepreneurial spirit and vision and creativity. It is really nice to join forces with another entrepreneur.”

She traces her love of books to the fourth grade and “A Girl of the Limberlost.” Its theme was reading can open doors, and she said that’s what reading has done for her.

“It has opened doors to everything in my life. I studied really hard and got a full scholarship to college, used it to study in France my junior year,” she said. “I learned so much through books. I don’t have a business degree but used the knowledge from reading to give me the confidence to open the business.”

She opened Rainy Day Books in the Fairway Shops in 1975 with just $2,000 in savings. The space had once been the Fairway police station and jail.

She only sold or traded used paperback books.

A year later, she relocated and expanded at the current site, 2706 W. 53rd St. in Fairway. Per many customer requests, she began offering new hardback and paperback books.

It currently has 13 employees — five salaried and eight hourly — who plan to remain.

Her son, Geoffrey Jennings, said he is the store’s oldest employee.

He was only 7 when he started alphabetizing books (his mom had taught him to read when he was 2), then he later helped unpack shipments and stock shelves, then moved up to waiting on customers.

Through college and law school he would help with the many “big time events” where bestselling authors shared their knowledge and experience, often at Unity Temple on the Plaza.

“That’s what we are known for — doing very large off-site events with world leaders, celebrities, artists, musicians, award-winning novelists — to promote their new books,” he said.

Events with Martha Stewart, Anne Rice and Jimmy Carter (3,400 attended) and the like garnered them national attention in the publishing world.

At the store, he said, “People come for the experience. They come knowing they are going to be able to take time to get lost in a bookstore. The pace is slower.”

The store will celebrate its 47th anniversary on Nov. 4.

Vivien Jennings said she had offers from outside Kansas City but wanted local owners. And while she is transferring operational control to the new owners, the family still plans to be involved.

“They will just be able to do the things they love to do. Not the back office stuff — dealing with the payroll, dealing with the landlord,” said Geoffrey Jennings, who will be lead buyer and event producer. “We can just focus on what we are selling and how we are selling it.”

Made in KC currently has 16 operations across the metro under such brands as Made in KC, Front Range Coffeehouse & Provisions, Ludo’s and Outta the Blue.

They said new Rainy Day Books locations are a possibility.

“Rainy Day Books is certainly iconic and is an invaluable asset to our community,” said Tyler Enders, partner in Made in KC with Keith Bradley and Thomas McIntyre. “They have created such strong relationships with publishers in New York that we get people to come to Kansas City who would not come here otherwise.”

“For any business to stay in business for 47 years says a lot about the operation and the relationship with their customers,” Enders said. “We are just thrilled to carry on their legacy.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 9:13 AM.