MINNEAPOLIS — An eclectic children's bookstore that has become a treasured part of the Twin Cities landscape will remain so, following the retirement of its longtime owner.
Collette Morgan confirms that after 31 years of running Wild Rumpus Books she has sold the business to four employees, leaving the store "in the best of hands."
Her store was named Bookstore of the Year by Publishers Weekly in 2017.
Morgan announced the sale in a news release with a picture of the new ownership team - Timothy Otte, Jessica Fuentes, Beth Wilson and Anna Hersh. "Here's wishing them continued success in creating the ongoing story of Wild Rumpus Books!," Morgan wrote.
She added in an email to KARE 11 that the four new owners were instrumental in building the business back up after Covid closures. "Smart, energetic booksellers make me optimistic about the future!" she exclaimed.
Hersh worked closely with Morgan during the pandemic.
"During that time she was kind of joking, 'Oh, thought I was going to be retiring soon' but this was happening," Hersh recalled.
When Morgan brought it up again, Hersh recalls saying, "If I win the lottery, if I have tons of money, I'll buy it from you."
Hersh continued, "Some of us started kind of talking together and we were like, 'Well, what if we try that?'"
The four did not win the lottery but said they won "the friendship lottery." Together, they came up with a plan and pitched it to Morgan. To their surprise, she agreed.
"It's such an honor because this place has such a huge legacy for it and I think that's the most important thing about why we wanted to take it over and why she kind of loved the idea of having us, the booksellers, take over," Fuentes said. "The heart of the store is to let it be a magical place, and that's kind of what we want it to continue to be."
The four took over the beloved bookstore on January 3.
"It's kind of been wild. It's been a crazy ride," Hersh said.
On the Wild Rumpus website, co-founder Tom Braun described the origin of the business, saying he and Morgan used Anne Mazer's "The Salamander Room" as a blueprint for building the store. "And today it continues to teach us about books and young people, and about adults who love them."
Through the years, Wild Rumpus evolved into more than a place to buy books, becoming an anchor of the Linden Hills neighborhood. Parents and children would visit to find something to read, but also end up visiting with an evolving population of animals. Two cats, two chinchillas, a cockatiel, a dove, and a tank full of fish currently reside inside the store, which is licensed as a municipal pet store and undergoes regular city animal control inspections. However, they do not sell pets at Wild Rumpus.
The pets continue to call the bookstore home, as the new owners describe themselves as "animal people."
“The store has such a particular vibe,” Otte told Publisher's Weekly. “It’s pretty much a product of the work of Collette Morgan and Tom Braun: that’s their legacy. Our goal is to be the kind of place where you can find a book, pet a cat, and be interrupted by birds while you are reading. Hopefully, we’ll be able to put on other outrageous events like the one with the horse.”
Otte was referring to an infamous incident where Morgan brought her own horse into the store for an event featuring a book about horses. At one point the horse had to relieve itself, sending the crowd and employees scattering. A picture that still hangs on the wall of the Wild Rumpus commemorates the event.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more Behind the Business:
Watch all of the latest stories from Behind the Business in our YouTube playlist: