McMurtry Shelves the Idea of Closing

HOUSTON —  Larry McMurtry, the irascible author of 60 books and screenplays -- including “Lonesome Dove” and “Terms of Endearment” -- has reversed course and decided not to close his peculiar and beloved bookshop that represents the hub of the economy in the dusty Texas outpost of Archer City.

McMurtry had cited economic pressures, particularly from chain bookstores, when he announced plans this year to shutter Booked Up Inc. But in a statement posted this week on the store’s website, addressed “To Our Customers, Alarmed or Otherwise,” he said the crisis had passed.

“To a large extent it was a crisis felt by hundreds of antiquarian booksellers in America,” the statement said. “Many closed. We, fortunately, won’t have to.... We are sorry for the alarm, but things did look discouraging for a while.”

McMurtry, who has operated bookstores for 35 years, opened his shop in Archer City 20 years ago. It expanded over time and now has about 400,000 rare, old or simply strange books and takes up four buildings lining the town’s courthouse square.

The office is in the main building, a former car dealership; purchases of books housed in other buildings are conducted through the honor system, with customers walking down the block to pay. No one has any idea what the collection contains because McMurtry has never cataloged it. A sign posted on the wall of the store says the books are arranged “Erratically/Impressionistically/Whimsically.”

Brandi Hilbers, 21, who has worked in the shop since she was in middle school, said McMurtry -- who splits his time between Archer City and a second home in Arizona -- walked in unannounced Tuesday carrying the statement.

“I am very, very relieved,” Hilbers said. McMurtry did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Other merchants in the North Texas town were pleased to hear his shop would remain open.

Archer City, where McMurtry graduated from high school in 1954, does not receive many visitors. His shop, along with his name, is the main draw.

The town has seen new businesses sprout up in recent years, most peripherally related to the McMurtry empire. A cafe offers his customers a spot to read their new books; the Royal Theater, which burned down after it was immortalized in the 1971 film “The Last Picture Show,” has opened for theater and other performances.

The businesses would have suffered, or perhaps failed, had McMurtry closed his store, local merchants said.

“It’s the only thing that’s kept us going,” said Mary Webb, who grew up with McMurtry and owns the Lonesome Dove Inn, where rooms are decorated in themes from his novels. “It’s certainly been a boon to the economy. And now we don’t have to worry anymore.”