Local duo breathes new life into historic bookstore
Carla Cary and Clio Bruns in front of their Paso Robles bookshop, Spare Time Books.
Grand reopening party invites public to discover renovations
– One year ago, two North County 20-somethings bought a longtime Paso Robles bookshop in hopes of reinvigorating its offerings. Today, the new owners and longtime friends – Carla Cary and Clio Bruns – are inviting the public to a grand re-opening party at Spare Time Books on April 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to showcase what they have reimagined. The bookshop is located at 945 12th Street in downtown Paso Robles.
“We have spent the last year transforming the space while honoring the spirit of the original bookshop,” said Cary, co-owner of Spare Time Books, “Our goal is to draw the community together and ignite peoples’ love for books.”
The April 13 grand re-opening party will include free book giveaways, raffle prizes, music, snacks, and a chance to meet local authors. Some festivities will continue into Sunday, while a ribbon cutting with the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce is planned for April 12 at 4 p.m.
The duo has opened up the shop floorspace by replacing the maze-like bookshelves with built-in shelves along the walls. They have also painted the walls, duct pipes, door, and trim with attractive, cohesive colors. Throughout this process, they say they received overwhelming support both from the local community and online followers. As they documented their progress, Cary and Bruns found more than 170,000 people who were passionate about their renovations and supported the project through online orders and gifts. “People’s enthusiasm helped bring our vision to life and made our dream a reality,” Cary said.
While the shop is known for its used books, there is also a growing selection of new books, board games, and book-related merchandise, which the owners plan to expand in the coming year. Other forthcoming developments include guest author book signings; paint nights; book clubs; as well as kids days where children are invited to read aloud to the shop dogs. The shop currently designs “mystery book boxes,” on request for people who want a suite of books based on their preferred genres and authors. Spare Time Books also offers customer store credit for used books brought in; and they donate extra books to local programs and charities.
“We can’t wait to really cement our shop this year in the minds of the community as a place to visit and hang out,” Cary said. “We are honored to have the chance to breathe new life into this local treasure.”
Originally opened in 1989 by Sharon King, Spare Time Books was purchased on April 13, 2023, by Cary and Clio Bruns. The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and closed Sundays and Mondays. For more information, visit sparetimebooks.com.
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