While they say all good stories must come to an end, Austinites never want that to be true of independent local businesses—especially this time of year. After relocating to Kerbey Lane in 2022, South Congress Books announced it would be closing its doors for good in the coming weeks.
The store announced the closure in an Instagram post on Friday, December 6:
“On the heels of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, we bring you We Surrender December,” the post reads. “After two years of valiantly trying to survive (if not thrive) in our new location, we’ve made the hard decision not to renew our lease.”
The post goes on to thank customers for their business over the years, but shares that keeping the shop open beyond the current year is not “sustainable or prudent.”
The store first opened its doors on South Congress thirteen years ago, back before that particular avenue became home to international brands like Nike and Hermes. Over the years, rising rent on the once-quirky street has squeezed out unique local businesses like Lucy in Disguise in favor of chain stores.
As such, it was no major surprise when, in 2022, the small bookstore announced it was moving north of downtown. Loyal customers hoped that neighbors like the original Kerbey Lane Cafe would bring in a steady stream of foot traffic, but that has apparently not been the case.
Commenters on the farewell post all grieved the news, sharing that the shop would be missed.
In a small bit of silver lining, the shop did announce that it will maintain a presence on Abebooks.com (as Tornbooks) and Ebay (as South Congress Books). Austinites can also browse a special selection of the shop; books at Uncommon Objects (1602 Fortview Road) in South Austin and Antiques of Oakmont (1803-A W. 35th Street), just around the corner from the current location.
In the meantime, the Kerbey Lane store is offering a ten percent discount through December 24 and then 20 percent off between December 26 and January 5, 2025.
