Four employees at Minneapolis' Wild Rumpus took over the reins of the animal-filled bookstore this month — almost literally, considering the addition of horses to the store's famous zoo.
Colette Morgan, who co-founded the charming Linden Hills store in 1992, told Publishers Weekly that after 30 years in business, she shared her retirement plans with her staff. A small group of employees expressed interest in taking over. Timothy Otte, Jessica Fuentes, Beth Wilson and Anna Hirsch, all in their late 20s to mid-30s, were longtime Wild Rumpus customers before becoming employees.
Mr. Hirsch said the four left the bookstore (and its two chinchillas named Newberry and Caldecott, two cats, a cockatiel, a pigeon and 11 fish) in the hands of strangers. He really didn't want it to be given to him.
“We thought, ‘Hey, why not us?’ Each of us is committed to continuing the store and the Wild Rumpus tradition.”
This legacy was established by Morgan and her then-husband Tom Brown. The two continued their business partnership after their divorce until his death in 2018. The store's quirky design (including a small one with a door inside the front door), extensive book selection, and comprehensive program quickly established it among local families. favorite.
But the animals that live at Wild Rumpus are what really set this store apart. It is probably the only bookstore in the country that is also licensed as a pet store.
Perhaps the best known of the animals are the free-range chickens, the last of which was recently retired to a hobby farm. These chickens played a role in at least one couple's decision to move to Minneapolis. That said, it's likely that Morgan's horse was not asked to return to the store after being remembered during a book event about horses.
The new owners have no intention of changing the formula that led Wild Rumpus to become the first children's bookstore to be named Publishers Weekly's Bookstore of the Year in 2017.
“We might update some things in the store, but primarily we want to continue to create a wild, wonderful, welcoming place for kids and kids at heart,” Hirsch said. he said.
