Tattered Cover Bookstore Changes Owners

One of Denver’s most magical spots for bookworms and story lovers alike has recently changed hands through a private sale. Denver natives and long time friends Kwame Spearman and David Back, founding partners of Bended Page, LLC, lead a diverse group of Colorado-based investors and national bookselling and publishing experts that purchased the 49-year-old business.

Tattered Cover includes four locations around Denver and a fifth planned for Westminster. Prior to the sale, Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan, book industry veterans, owned and managed the bookstores, and received a backlash from patrons over the summer, when they were slow to release a statement regarding the Black Lives Matter protests happening just outside their doors. They did, however, eventually release a statement, which included the following:

“So, why have we been quiet? First, we think this is a time for voices other than ours to be heard. As a white-owned business, with predominantly white staff, we feel this is a time for us to take a step back, to allow others to command more and greater attention.”

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The new owners, Spearman and Back, grew up visiting and appreciating Tattered Cover. At 15, Back’s first formal job was working as a cashier at the bookstore’s Cherry Creek location, and Spearman’s favorite restaurant was the Fourth Story, housed in the bookstore’s flagship location from 1995 to 2006.

The new ownership team has extensive, professional experience in business management consulting and start-ups. Spearman worked internationally across various industries with a focus on retail and consumer companies and organization design and talent management, while Back visioned and grew the first rental car company in India.

“The Tattered Cover and all it embodies for us as Denver natives—reading, learning, the independent spirit, buying local, and most importantly, community and connection—are the ingredients that drew us to this endeavor,” says Spearman. “As we approach Tattered Cover’s 50th Anniversary, we are honored and excited to invest in this important community treasure and ensure it remains a piece of the Colorado experience for generations to come.”