Paperback Exchange moving to former Bicycle Corner spot

LANCASTER – The building at 201 W. Main St. that once housed the Bicycle Corner apparently won't be vacant for long.

Paperback Exchange owner Leanne McClellan is moving her business at 109 N. Columbus St. into it around the middle of the month.

She said she plans to start moving 40,000 books into her new space March 11 and 12.

"We're just moving up the corner and expanding our space and carry some more product line," McClellan said. "I'm going to start giving credit for DVDs and CDs that people bring in and reselling those. And I plan to carry some gift-type items and a larger line of greeting cards and gift bags, that sort of thing."

McClellan also wants to sell some convenience store items such as soda, juice and candy bars, among other things.

"So that if somebody needs something quickly downtown, there's a place to go get it," she said. "Because right now, there's no place without crossing Memorial Drive to even get a pack of gum downtown."

The Bicycle Corner owner Joe Rempe died late last year, which is why the building became available to McClellan, who will move the book business into its fourth location since buying it in 2001.

"This is a much bigger space, and I have never ever had enough room," she said. "In all the years I've owned the business, it's always been in too small of a place. I'm just really excited about the opportunity to have more things in here to draw more people. And my greeting cards have been real popular, but I've never had room to carry enough of those."

McClellan will bring her recognizable outdoor sign to her new location also.

"I wasn't going to go without my sign," she said. "It will go on the corner, so you should be able to see it from Memorial Drive, Main Street and Columbus Street and everywhere."

As for the space she's leaving, Jamie Mast-Mason is expanding Diamond Jim's Pizza into the Paperback Exchange space. She plans to put seating for an extra 40 to 60 people in addition to the original part of her building.

"As soon as Leanne gets her stuff out, we're moving in," Mast-Mason said.

She said she wants to open the new seating area by April 1.

McClellan said her fellow business owners and customers are happy with the move.

"They're excited for Jamie and they're excited for me," she said. "It's going to be fun."

Several new businesses opened downtown last year, and more are planned for this year. McClellan said she wouldn't be making such a big move if things were not happening.

Paperback Exchange hours will remain 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. McClellan said she might stay open later one evening a week in the summer, but she has not yet decided.

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron