Wallingford travel/bookstore gets new owner

Several years after putting her travel bookstore up for sale, Simone Andrus began to think she might not find a buyer. Not in these tough economic times anyway. So after 33 years, it appeared as if Wide World Books & Maps in Wallingford might close.

But a few months ago, single mom Julie Hunt was making small talk at a school event for one of her daughters when a relative of another student mentioned that the store was for sale.

An avid traveler, Hunt liked the store and did not want to see it close.

She soon borrowed $50,000 and entered into an agreement with Andrus to pay off the store's six-figure cost over five years.

"I hadn't been looking to buy a business, so it's not like I had a bunch of money saved up, and I was very nervous about the economy," said Hunt, 48, a behavioral scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

"But I was able to get a loan from a family member to cover the down payment. Then, I felt confident I could pay off the rest with the proceeds of the business, and that certainly seems to be the case."

Taking ownership last month, Hunt signed a five-year lease to keep the store at its Wallingford Avenue North location. Andrus, 60, will help out for several months to ensure a smooth transition.

"For the past four or five years, I've been in this midlife-reflection thing, just really pondering my life," said Hunt, who continues to work at "The Hutch", spending evenings and weekends at the store. "My life was a sure bet, but I thought, with risk there's always an upside."

If a buyer had not come along, Andrus said, she eventually would have sold off the store's merchandise and closed it down. Her husband, Stanley Toops, teaches geography at Miami University in Ohio, and she was eager to spend more time with him, she said.

"The business really needs someone with energy, intelligence and drive," Andrus said, explaining her reasons for selling the store. "Not that people at 60 lose their energy, but I wanted to focus my energy in other areas."

Wide World sells travel guides, memoirs and maps for just about any destination, as well as travel-related gear, including homeopathic jet-lag remedies, Rick Steves shoulder bags, alarm clocks that tell time in 16 different cities worldwide, and electrical adapter plugs for charging digital cameras.

The store also hosts book signings for travel writers and informal gatherings of female travelers. Hunt said she hopes to offer more of those types of events, and keep them free and open to the public.

"To have a place where people want to come and meet is very appealing to me," she said. "I love hearing about people's travels. It's partly why I bought the store."

Hunt said she noticed many empty storefronts and "For Lease" signs while considering her purchase, and she recalls thinking, maybe the middle of a recession is not the time to get into the retail business, especially to sell travel books.

After all, travel books hardly rank as everyday, must-have items for cash- and credit-strapped consumers.

But, she said, Wide World has loyal customers who "will always find a way to travel." And, she said, sales are picking up amid signs that the worst of the recession is over.

"The last couple of weekends have been great," she said. "It feels to me like things are getting better."

— Amy Martinez

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Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com