50 years of Rainy Day: Famous authors & lasting memories at KC-area bookstore
It’s only fitting that Rainy Day Books will celebrate its 50th anniversary by having Vivien Jennings, its founder and longtime CEO, onstage with an author.
The local literary landmark in Fairway established its national reputation largely through its author appearances, typically with Jennings interviewing a famous visitor in front of a packed audience.
The tables will be turned for the Johnson County store’s anniversary celebration Nov. 4 at Unity Temple on the Plaza.
Annie Krieg, Rainy Day’s general manager, said Jennings “pioneered the conversational format with authors back in the late ’90s, early 2000s” and she will return to it with local author David Von Drehle (“The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man”). Only this time, Von Drehle will ask the questions and Jennings will supply the answers.
“The two of them have choreographed a really nice hourish-long program to help walk people through the last 50 years of Rainy Day Books,” said Krieg, who has worked at Rainy Day only since July.
Jennings, 80, sold the store to a local group in 2022. She and her longtime partner, Roger Doeren, who was chief operations officer, retired from the day-to-day business, but Rainy Day remains very much a part of their lives.
“I like talking to the customers, I like keeping that engagement,” she said recently. “But I’m fine with not having to watch and see if one of the fluorescent lights is going out or if the computer is going down.”
Here are some of the memories Jennings might discuss with Von Drehle on Nov. 4:
On discovering reading in the fourth grade: “I read a book called ‘A Girl of the Limberlost’ (1909 by Gene Stratton-Porter). ... And, really, that was it. I realized that the world of books was endless.”
On the name Rainy Day Books: “One of the things that I thought was a great image, for me anyway, was the idea of sitting in a chair with a cup of tea and having just a soft rain, very peaceful, and just reading. Just enjoying all of that. And so I liked the name of it, Rainy Day Books, and so that’s what I decided to do.”
On the effort to land her first major author, Anne Rice, in 1996: “When I first started going to New York thinking about having people come here, there was this total glaze-over when I told them where I was from. They were like, ‘No.’ It took something to convince them that Kansas City was a book town and that there was a real audience here.”
On the reaction after Rice’s appearance here, when she signed books for 2,000 people over six hours: “New York was just, ‘Wow.’ And so then we started to get more and more.”
On why she was thrilled to bring in John Irving twice: “‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ is my favorite book of all time. I thought that book was great. It had so many layers to it.”
On her most memorable author interaction: “My visit and conversation with Malcolm Gladwell was the high point of my life. Because he is so smart, and he was such a challenge because his mind jumps constantly. So you better be ready.”
On Stephen King’s appearance: “He was just so fun to work with. The audience will never get over the thing where he played the guitar, played ‘Gloria.’ ‘It’s G-L-O … ,’ and the whole audience was singing.”
Anniversary event
“50 Years of Rainy Day Books: A Celebration with Vivien Jennings”: The Rainy Day founder will be in conversation with local author David Von Drehle. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St. rainydaybooks.com
Authors over the years
Notable authors Rainy Day Books has brought to Kansas City: Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen King, John Grisham, Martha Stewart, Kwame Alexander, John Irving, John Cleese, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Megyn Kelly, Caroline Kennedy, John McCain, Anne Rice, Walter Cronkite, Walter Isaacson, Salman Rushdie.
A brief history
- Rainy Day Books opened as a recycled-books operation on Nov. 4, 1975, at 5244 Norwood St., a 450-square-foot building that had been Fairway’s police station and jail. It began selling new books and moved in 1978 to 2706 W. 53rd St., a nearby 2,400-square-foot building, and has operated there since.
- The business grew to 13 locations, including the original and licensees in Olathe, Independence, Lee’s Summit, St. Joseph and elsewhere, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the expansion was short-lived.
- The owners of Made in KC retail shops and a group of longtime customers dubbed the Friends of Rainy Day Books bought Rainy Day in 2022.
Upcoming author visits
- Ree Drummond for “The Pioneer Woman Cooks,” 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at Unity Temple on the Plaza.
- Tamara Day for “Laid-Back Luxe,” 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Rainy Day Books.
- Rob Riggle for “Grit, Spit, and Never Quit,” 7 p.m. Nov. 24 at Unity Temple on the Plaza.
Rainy Day’s philosophy
“Bigger isn’t better. Better is better.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
