Downtown Book & Toy under new ownership

As the manager of Downtown Books II at Capital Mall, Beth Elliott had dreamed of owning her own book store.

Little did she know, it would happen sooner than she expected.

When Downtown Books II closed in August, Elliott knew the original Downtown Book & Toy at 125 E. High St. would be next if she didn’t take the opportunity.

“I could not let local book selling go away from Jefferson City,” she said. “This is an institution, and I wanted to keep it here.”

Ready for retirement, the Cowleys of Cowley Distributing sold their chain of retail book and toy stores across central and eastern Missouri, including Downtown Books.

“This opportunity was really a godsend,” Elliott said. “I’m really grateful.”

The service and discounts will remain the same, but Elliott has expanded the hours and plans to diversify the book selection.

The new hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays. Before, the store closed an hour earlier on weekdays and Saturdays and 3½ hours earlier on Sundays.

“I just think, the more you’re open, the more opportunities there are to serve people,” Elliott said.

Elliott plans to add more books with the hope Jefferson City readers will purchase more books from Downtown Book & Toy instead of online or at a large chain store. She plans to add “pre-loved” vinyl and books and expand the Missouri section, adding more books about Jefferson City and books by local authors.

“We have so many people that come in that want something about Missouri,” Elliott said. “We have a pretty good selection, but I want to get it a little more Jefferson City oriented.”

Elliott also plans to add manga, Spanish language and urban fiction books, which all had success at Downtown Books II and can be hard to find in Central Missouri.

She wants to curate to customers’ interests to have a selection that local readers are excited about, she said.

“We’re really willing to work with people,” she said. “We just need to know what people want.”

As for toys, Elliott plans to add a few classic toys like Legos but generally wants to stay away from toys you can buy at Target or Walmart.

“This is our chance to feature smaller businesses in a smaller business,” she said.

Downtown Book & Toy has something for all ages. Elliott said she wants it to be a place where everyone can find something for their interests, make memories and learn something new. A Jefferson City native, Elliott has fond memories of coming downtown after school or on weekends as a young teenager.

“I really appreciate the idea of having a space where tweens or young teenagers that can’t drive might want to come in and just hang out and get to read a couple books, buy a couple books, maybe find out about something like Dungeons and Dragons or just something a little bit different — kind of just a space where they can come and be themselves,” she said.

Her goal, she said, is for Downtown Book & Toy to continue to benefit the downtown area and Jefferson City as a place that continues a cycle of good memories for generations to come.

“I want little kids to have the same kind of memories that their parents have of coming into Downtown Book & Toy and shopping and getting a toy after a parade or something like that — just the community and camaraderie of being in Jeff City,” she said.

Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected] or 573-761-0243.