Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Medford auto retailer acquires 85-year-old Carbone Auto Group ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Emergency Services, Sept. 13 ... Medford auto retailer acquires 85-year-old Carbone Auto Group ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Emergency Services, Sept. 13 ... Shakespeare Books owner buys Ashland Recycled Furniture Comment By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2016 at 4:15 PM By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2016 at 4:15 PM » Social News Judi Honore, owner of the soon-to-be-defunct Shakespeare Books & Antiques, has bought Ashland Recycled Furniture on A Street. Honore said she closed the deal for ARF Aug. 30, paid cash for the business and did it mainly so her longtime manager, Donna Jean Morris, would continue to have a place to work. Morris is now in charge of operating that store. Public records indicate she filed with the state as the new owner of ARF Aug. 19, taking over from Kathleen Buffington. Honore gave notice to the landlord of the Shakespeare Books space Aug. 22 and announced to customers Aug. 30 she would close the bookstore at the end of October. Honore attributed the bookstore closure to declining sales and stress stemming from her ongoing dispute with Oregon Shakespeare Festival over a display of banned books in the front window that some found offensive. On July 26, OSF directed staff to not patronize the bookstore for any festival-related business, following complaints by actors in the all-black “The Wiz” that the display of banned books in the window was racially offensive. The festival has since said it had made only one purchase from the bookstore in recent years, so any decline in business is not attributable to OSF's own boycott, which it has not asked anyone else to join in. Honore disputed suggestions she was looking to move or close her business prior to the dispute with OSF, saying her bookstore was doing well and she was only looking for a new spot because her inventory is three times what the store would hold. ARF is selling only used furniture, no books, she said. She will put all her books in storage till she finds space for a bigger store. “Once I found out the boycott was happening and there was a good chance this store was going south,” said Honore, that’s when she decided that “when I get the emotional energy, I will reopen a bookstore in Ashland somewhere. But this (dispute) wore me down so much, there’s no joy in it ... I don’t want to sell furniture ... I had no intent to move until this happened.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2016 at 4:15 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501