Tattered Cover facts for kids
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16th St. location
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Stephen Cogil |
| Headquarters | 1628 16th Street Denver, Colorado, U.S. 80202-1308 |
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Number of locations
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6 |
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Area served
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Denver |
| Products | Books |
| Owners | Bended Page LLC |
Tattered Cover is a famous bookstore chain in Denver, Colorado. It was once one of the largest independent bookstores in the United States. Tattered Cover stores are open every day of the week. They often host special events where authors sign books. The store is also known for its helpful customer service.
Together, the stores have more than half a million books. The LoDo store has a large space for events. It can hold over 250 people. The East Colfax store can seat about 100 people for events.
The Story of Tattered Cover
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Tattered Cover first opened in 1971. It was a small bookshop in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. The first owner was Stephen Cogil. He was from Aurora.
In 1974, Joyce Meskis bought the store. Between 1973 and 1983, the store grew seven times. In 1986, it moved to a bigger spot in Cherry Creek. This location stayed open for more than 20 years.
A second store opened in 1994. It was in Denver's historic LoDo district. In 2004, a third store opened in Highlands Ranch. This store later moved to Littleton in 2015.
The Cherry Creek store closed in 2006. It moved to a newly fixed-up building. This building was once the Lowenstein Theatre on East Colfax Avenue.
Joyce Meskis was a leader in the book world. She was president of the American Booksellers Association. She also won awards for protecting free speech and privacy. These awards recognized her work in making sure people could read what they wanted.
In 2015, Meskis sold the bookstore to Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan. Later, in December 2020, they sold it to a group of investors. This group was led by David Back and Kwame Spearman.
In October 2023, Tattered Cover faced financial challenges. It filed for a special kind of bankruptcy. This meant three stores closed and some staff lost their jobs. In July 2024, a court approved the sale of Tattered Cover to Barnes & Noble.
Protecting Customer Privacy
In 2000, Tattered Cover stood up for its customers' privacy. Police wanted to see records of books a customer had bought. They thought the customer was involved in a serious crime. The store believed this went against people's right to privacy and free expression.
The case became very important. It went all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court. Tattered Cover argued that what people read should be private. The court agreed with the bookstore. They ruled that the store did not have to share its customer records. It turned out the book in question was about Japanese calligraphy. This case showed how important it is to protect what people choose to read.
