Eborn Books

Eborn Books is an independent bookstore and publishing business based in Utah, United States. It sells new, used, collectible, and rare books through physical stores and an online operation, while also publishing and distributing works connected with Latter-day Saint and Mormon literature. Its principal retail market is the Intermountain West, particularly Utah, but its internet business ships books to customers internationally. The business was founded by book collector Bret Eborn and his wife, Cindy. Bret Eborn initially bought and sold used books before the couple opened their first bookstore in Layton, Utah, in 1989. The company later developed a consignment-heavy model, allowing it to build a large inventory without purchasing every title outright. According to descriptions of the business, the enterprise has handled more than half a million books, with a substantial majority sold on consignment. Its inventory has included ordinary used books, rare books, regional works, religious titles, and books of interest to collectors. Eborn Books is particularly associated with the Latter-day Saint book market. Its retail catalog includes Mormon history, theology, scripture-related material, biography, local history, and other books aimed at readers and collectors within the broader Latter-day Saint community. The publishing arm, operating under Eborn Books or Eborn Publishing, has issued nonfiction in the Mormon literature field. The company has also distributed books connected with Shady Hill Press, which focuses on fictional works in the same general cultural and religious market, including fantasy and science fiction, as well as books associated with Rush Utah and The Interpreter Foundation. The company has operated through a changing network of Utah locations. After its original Layton shop and a later Layton location, the business spent roughly a decade in Phoenix, Arizona, combining publishing with mail-order sales of used and rare books. Bret and Cindy Eborn returned to Utah in 2000 and opened a store in Roy. A Salt Lake City location followed in 2002, first on East 300 South and later, in 2012, at the historic David Keith Building on South Main Street. The Main Street store occupied space formerly used by Sam Weller's Bookstore and received inventory that Sam Weller's could not sell before relocating. The retail network also expanded through mall stores and franchised or affiliated locations. Locations mentioned in descriptions of the business have included stores in Ogden, Layton, Provo, West Valley City, Sandy, and Nauvoo, Illinois. In 2017 Eborn Books acquired the Latter-Day Harvest Bookstore in Nauvoo from Living Scriptures and operated it under the Nauvoo Trading Post name before bringing it into the Eborn Books network. The company has also maintained a substantial online presence, which became increasingly important as physical locations changed. In 2019 the landlord of the Salt Lake City Main Street building required Eborn Books and other tenants to vacate. The store announced a planned closure for late June, with inventory transferred to a warehouse in Tooele. Because the location still contained a large amount of stock, Saturday operations and clearance sales continued while the remaining books were moved. The closure marked the end of the company's prominent downtown storefront, not the end of its broader retail and publishing activities. Eborn Books subsequently continued selling large quantities of books online and shipping them worldwide. The brand's public identity combines specialist bookselling, regional retail, collecting, consignment inventory, and niche publishing. Bret Eborn has also written reference works about Mormon books, including The Comprehensive Guide to Mormon Books and later editions of Bret Eborn's Guide to Mormon Books. The company has received local recognition, including a 2013 Salt Lake City Weekly Best of Utah designation for its Main Street bookstore.

Eborn Books grew out of Bret Eborn's interest in collecting and trading books. Before establishing a permanent retail business, Eborn bought and sold used books, eventually developing the activity into a partnership with his wife, Cindy. They opened their first bookstore in Layton, Utah, in 1989 and later operated from another Layton location. The business expanded significantly after adopting consignment selling, a model that enabled it to offer a broad inventory of used and collectible books while limiting the need to acquire every item directly. During the 1990s, Bret Eborn spent approximately ten years in Phoenix, Arizona. There he combined publishing with mail-order sales of used and rare books, building experience in both niche publishing and remote retail. In 2000, the couple returned to Utah and opened a store in Roy. The company added a Salt Lake City location in 2002 at 433 East 300 South. Plans during that period included changing the location mix, including the possible closure of the Roy store and an expansion into West Valley City. The company subsequently developed a network of stores along the Wasatch Front. Locations associated with Eborn Books included stores in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Layton, Provo, West Valley City, and Sandy, with some operating through franchise arrangements. In 2017, the company purchased the Latter-Day Harvest Bookstore in Nauvoo, Illinois, from Living Scriptures. The acquired business was known as the Nauvoo Trading Post and was later operated as an Eborn Books location. This gave the company a presence in a community with strong historical and religious significance for Latter-day Saint visitors. Eborn Books became especially identified with the Latter-day Saint book market. Its retail business handled religious books, Mormon history, theology, biography, local history, rare editions, general used books, and other works of interest to collectors. The business reported an inventory of more than half a million books, with most sales conducted on consignment. Alongside its physical stores, it operated through internet and mail-order channels, allowing it to serve customers outside Utah and ship books internationally. The business also maintained a publishing division under the Eborn Books and Eborn Publishing names. Its publishing activity focused primarily on nonfiction connected with Mormon literature and history. It distributed or worked with books from Shady Hill Press, which concentrated on fiction, including fantasy and science fiction, within the broader Latter-day Saint literary sphere. Eborn Books also distributed books associated with Rush Utah and The Interpreter Foundation. Bret Eborn's own bibliographic publications, including The Comprehensive Guide to Mormon Books and editions of Bret Eborn's Guide to Mormon Books, reflected the company's specialist orientation. In April 2008, the business became involved in the recovery of two rare Book of Mormon editions. Eborn purchased the books at its West Valley City store and later learned that they had been stolen from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum along with other rare books. After verifying the ownership issue, Eborn contacted the Salt Lake City Police Department and handed over the items. The thieves were apprehended before the purchase check was cashed. The episode demonstrated the risks inherent in dealing in rare and collectible books but did not result in allegations that Eborn had knowingly participated in the theft. In March 2012, Eborn Books moved into a substantially larger downtown Salt Lake City storefront in the David Keith Building on South Main Street. The building had previously housed Sam Weller's Bookstore, a long-established local bookseller that had moved to Trolley Square earlier that year. Eborn Books purchased inventory that Sam Weller's had been unable to sell before its move. The location stood near the Gallivan Center and the TRAX light-rail system and became the company's most prominent physical store. The downtown store's tenure ended after the building owner required Eborn Books and several other businesses to vacate. In May 2019, the company announced that it would close the storefront at the end of June and move the remaining inventory to a warehouse in Tooele. The store held large clearance sales and continued opening on Saturdays because substantial stock remained after the planned closing date. The closure represented a shift away from the flagship downtown retail model rather than a termination of the enterprise. Eborn Books continued online sales, reportedly shipping tens of thousands of books to customers around the world. Eborn Books' history is therefore defined by mobility, consignment inventory, specialist knowledge, religious-market publishing, and adaptation between storefront and online retail. Its identity remains closely linked to Utah, the Latter-day Saint literary market, and the trade in used and rare books.

• 2019

  Downtown Salt Lake City store closes

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The Main Street store closed after the building owner required tenants to vacate. Inventory was moved to a Tooele warehouse while clearance sales continued.

• 2017

  Sandy franchise and Nauvoo acquisition

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a South Town Center franchise in Sandy and acquired the Latter-Day Harvest Bookstore in Nauvoo, Illinois, from Living Scriptures.

• 2016

  Layton Hills Mall franchise opens

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  A franchised store opened at Layton Hills Mall in Layton, Utah.

• 2012

  Move to the David Keith Building

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Eborn Books moved into the former Sam Weller's Bookstore premises on South Main Street, its largest location at the time.

• 2008

  Rare books returned to museum authorities

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The company turned over two Book of Mormon editions after learning that they had been stolen from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

• 2002

  Salt Lake City location opens

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Eborn Books opened a store at 433 East 300 South in downtown Salt Lake City.

• 2000

  Business returns to Utah

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  After about a decade in Phoenix focused on publishing and mail-order used and rare books, the Eborns returned to Utah and opened a store in Roy.

• 1989

  First Layton bookstore opens

  [1]Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Bret and Cindy Eborn opened the first Eborn Books store in Layton, Utah, after Bret had established himself as a buyer and seller of used books.

An independent specialist bookseller and niche publisher serving collectors, readers of Latter-day Saint literature, and customers seeking used, rare, regional, and religious books.

• Bookselling · 1989

  Used and rare books

  Eborn Books' core retail offering consists of used, collectible, and rare books. The company has historically maintained a very large inventory, with most books sold through consignment arrangements. Its catalog spans general-interest titles as well as regional, religious, historical, and specialist works.

• Religious publishing and bookselling

  Latter-day Saint literature

  The business specializes in books related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the wider Mormon literary tradition. Typical subjects include theology, scripture, church and Utah history, biography, religious commentary, and collector-oriented editions.

• Book publishing

  Eborn Publishing titles

  Under the Eborn Books and Eborn Publishing names, the company publishes nonfiction connected with Mormon literature and related subjects. The publishing activity complements the retail business by serving a specialized audience interested in Latter-day Saint history, culture, and writing.

• Book distribution

  Shady Hill Press distribution

  Eborn Books has been associated with distribution for Shady Hill Press, a publisher of fiction in the broader Latter-day Saint literary market. The associated material includes fantasy and science fiction, extending beyond Eborn's principal nonfiction and used-book focus.

• E-commerce bookselling

  Online and mail-order books

  The company sells books through its website and other remote retail channels. Online operations allow Eborn Books to serve customers beyond its Utah stores and to ship books internationally, an increasingly important part of the business after the closure of its downtown Salt Lake City location.

• 2019

  Closure and warehousing of the Main Street inventoryStrategy

  Background

  The owner of the David Keith Building required Eborn Books and other tenants to vacate the property.

  Action taken

  Eborn Books closed the downtown storefront, held clearance sales, and transferred the remaining inventory to a warehouse in Tooele.

  Aftermath

  The physical flagship disappeared, while the company continued its online and remote sales activity.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquisition of the Nauvoo bookstoreM&A

  Background

  Living Scriptures owned the Latter-Day Harvest Bookstore in Nauvoo, Illinois, a location serving visitors and readers interested in Latter-day Saint history.

  Action taken

  Eborn Books purchased the operation and continued it under the Nauvoo Trading Post name before identifying it with the Eborn Books network.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded Eborn Books beyond Utah and gave it a retail presence in Nauvoo.

  Source

• 2012

  Relocation to a larger downtown storefrontStrategy

  Background

  Eborn Books sought a larger physical location in Salt Lake City after operating at 433 East 300 South.

  Action taken

  The company moved into the David Keith Building premises formerly occupied by Sam Weller's Bookstore and acquired some unsold Sam Weller's inventory.

  Aftermath

  The South Main Street store became Eborn Books' largest and most prominent physical location until its closure in 2019.

  Source

• 2008

  Surrender of museum-owned Book of Mormon editionsOther

  Background

  Eborn Books purchased two older Book of Mormon editions and later learned that they had been stolen from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

  Action taken

  Bret Eborn contacted the Salt Lake City Police Department and turned over the books after confirming the museum's ownership.

  Aftermath

  The books were recovered, and the purchase check was not cashed because the suspects were caught before payment was completed. The available account does not indicate that Eborn Books was accused of knowingly handling stolen property.

  Source

1. 1Eborn Booksen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Eborn Books official websiteebornbooks.com