The red and black letters on the side of Haslam\u2019s Book Store, peeling after years in the Florida sun, told the bookworms of St. Petersburg everything they\u2019d want to hear.<\/p>\n
The mural promised \u201cover 300,000 books in stock,\u201d a tradition of \u201cbooks bought and sold since 1933.\u201d<\/p>\n
It asked readers to \u201ccome in and browse\u201d the \u201cover 100,000 titles from Art to Zoology and \u2018A\u2019 to \u2018Izzard.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Five years ago, the pandemic pushed Haslam\u2019s to close in the interest of public safety. The words painted outside the building provided hope for those who imagined one day returning to peruse the dusty shelves inside.<\/p>\n
In September, the murals were painted over. The Haslam\u2019s sign is gone.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 10, we dedicated our Rundown newsletter to the unique challenges of reporting on an institution at the center of public intrigue, especially when its owners have been quiet for years.<\/p>\n
We last heard from Ray Hinst, co-owner of Haslam\u2019s, in 2021, after the store\u2019s Google business profile stated it was \u201cpermanently closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a variety of personal and professional reasons Suzanne and I are still undecided about reopening the bookstore to the public,\u201d Hinst said in an email. \u201cWe appreciate everyone\u2019s interest and are trying to consider all aspects of the situation. In the meantime our kitties are very happy in their new homes in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hinst has not responded to numerous requests for comment since, including recent emails. In the meantime, the Tampa Bay Times has written about the store\u2019s history, traditions, cats and projected property value, as well as what the space could potentially become.<\/p>\n
In a newsletter, we asked readers to share their memories and thoughts about Haslam\u2019s. If this is really the end, what does Tampa Bay have to say?<\/p>\n
Dozens replied. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
On niche finds<\/p>\n
\u201cI could find any book at Haslam\u2019s \u2014 out of print, old Civil War histories, gospel histories, a 1945 copy of \u2018God Calling\u2019 and an 1883 Civil War autobiography first printing. The biggest treat, aside from the wonderful atmosphere, was petting the cat. That critter made every trip a very special event!!” \u2014 Devin Neitzert<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those genealogy tomes sitting in there haunt me.\u201d \u2014 Lori Howe<\/p>\n
\u201cA few years after moving to Tampa, I decided to study ancient Greek. Because the New Testament is written in a dialect of ancient Greek, I needed a New Testament lexicon. Looking around in Haslam\u2019s I found one. I still use it. It\u2019s old and beat up from heavy use by students, but it works just fine.\u201d \u2014 Hugh Lawson<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a young woman in the early 1970s I lived about three blocks from Haslam\u2019s and frequented the bookstore on weekends. Not interested in the latest arrivals, I haunted the backroom shelves which were loaded with old poetry and history books. There was a spiritual silence among those dimly lit isles. I still have my collection of early editions of Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Sara Teasdale and Samuel Hoffenstein, all purchased at bargain basement prices. I truly love Haslam\u2019s. It has a special spot in my jar of memories, and I have watched with concern as its rooms full of books languish behind locked doors. To see the storefront painted over was heartbreaking and I continue to hold out hope for a grand return of an irreplaceable St. Pete landmark.\u201d \u2014 Deborah Van Fossen<\/p>\n
On the comics<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the 1950s, my friend Joan and I used to take the bus downtown and go to Haslam\u2019s. Mr. Haslam used to let us sit in the front window and read comic books. The store was on the other side of Central near First National Bank. We weren\u2019t allowed to read comics at home, so it was grand. Thanks, Mr. Haslam.\u201d \u2014 Priscilla Pridgen<\/p>\n
\u201cUsed comic books were a nickel in the late 50s and early 60s, and you would get 2\u00a2 for comics you traded in. I recall getting lots of old books at Haslam\u2019s for 5\u00a2 each, things that would be worth hundreds of dollars each today. If something was really old, like from the early 1940s, they\u2019d charge a dime each. Such books were not found often, but every once in a great while I would find random issues of Batman, Captain America, Sub-mariner or Captain Marvel from the 1940s. Comics from the 1950s were much more common and I was able to fill in gaps in my collection from places like Haslam\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Now, bear in mind, old comics like these were almost impossible to find back then. There was no internet or eBay or big comic book dealers. I recall taking my small stash of Golden Age comics to my high school art class some years later. This was a time when you just didn\u2019t admit to reading comics if you were a teenager, so I was a bit trepidatious about showing them to anyone. In my class was another guy who I thought might be a comic reader, so I opened my notebook and showed him the small group of 1940s comics. His eyes practically popped out of his head, and he exclaimed \u2018Where did you get these???\u2019 I felt good about that.” \u2014 Alan Hutchinson<\/p>\n
On romance<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband is one of those extremely rare people who is actually born and raised in St. Pete (in fact, his dad was also, making him an even rarer second-generation St. Pete native). When he was growing up, he and his mom would go to Haslam\u2019s OFTEN. The owner Ray would set aside all kinds of history and science fiction books for this extremely eager little boy who DEVOURED them.<\/p>\n
Haslam\u2019s was so special to him growing up that when we visited St. Pete as a couple for the first time, it was one of the first places he took me. When we moved here later, it was an essential stop on every single date night. And when we got engaged, we actually took our engagement photos there. Here\u2019s the Facebook post where Ray actually shared his excitement at our engagement and the store\u2019s part in making St. Pete feel like home for both a recent transplant and a second-generation native.<\/p>\n
We now have two kids of our own, and it breaks my heart that we haven\u2019t been able to continue the tradition of Haslam\u2019s book shopping trips, but we\u2019re doing our best with Tombolo, Book Rescuers, and others (though nothing hits quite the same).” \u2014 Amanda Baird<\/p>\n
On school memories<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a middle school lit teacher until 2016 and over the years I made many a pilgrimage to Haslam\u2019s. Yes, I went to pick up books they ordered for me, or just to wander the stacks and maybe find a hidden gem, and OF COURSE to pet the cats! But my most frequent visits were to stock up on paperbacks for my classroom library \u2014 a dependable and affordable source for the volumes to be devoured by the hungry minds of adolescents. Miss ya, Haslam\u2019s!\u201d \u2014 Marty Brinsko<\/p>\n
“My main memory of Haslam\u2019s was going down there to buy supplies for NHS. It was 1955 and the middle of the beard-growing contest for Homecoming at SPHS. I really looked unkempt with a week\u2019s worth of facial hair, very unusual for a high school senior back then. I\u2019ve never had store clerks look at me and watch my movements as suspiciously before or since.” \u2014 Andy Rivkind<\/p>\n
On the future<\/p>\n
\u201cDying for it to reopen, waitin\u2019, waitin\u2019, waitin\u2019 since we came to Florida! It\u2019s unique!\u201d \u2014 Michaelene Lourenco<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can just write off Haslam\u2019s. I guarantee you after all these years the shop has mold, and so do the books. Sad and neglectful.\u201c \u2014 Ray Murtaugh<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022 my wife and I were visiting relatives in Tampa, and they gave us a quick tour of St. Pete for the first time. As we drove through the city we saw Haslam\u2019s bookstore. I thought, \u2018This must be a great city! Look at the size of that bookstore!\u2019 We decided to move to the area in 2023, ending up in Gulfport. I couldn\u2019t wait to explore Haslam\u2019s. I obviously was disappointed to learn it was closed . . . but I still held out hope. Surely, they\u2019ll reopen or sell it to someone who would reopen it. Every time I drive by it, my imagination wondered at what treasures might still be inside there.\u201d \u2014 Barry Rinehart<\/p>\n
\u201cThis mug still resides on my desk\u2026a perpetual reminder of memorable afternoons in an establishment that fed my soul!!\u201c \u2014 Jo Ann Moldenhauer<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have painted over the concrete on the side and front\u2026 Is that a good sign or the death knell?!\u201d \u2014 Laura Dann<\/p>\n
\u201cLoved Haslam\u2019s. Fabulous store, people who worked there were smart, helpful. Just a great place and a big loss to the community. However, I do love Tombolo Books and to a lesser extent, Book and Bottle. The Tombolo people are also wonderful, knowledgeable, good people. And I\u2019m trying to buy fewer books in a half-hearted attempt at downsizing. But if Haslam\u2019s decides to open to the public to get rid of those books, I am there!\u201d \u2014 Ann M. Rubinstein<\/p>\n
\u201cIt used to bring me pleasure to walk into Haslam\u2019s and smell the old book smell and walk the creaky floors and be amazed by the amount of books in that building! I would love to have that pleasure again someday!\u201d \u2014 Judy Henzel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The red and black letters on the side of Haslam\u2019s Book Store, peeling after years in the Florida…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[8886,8887,596,202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-8725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-bookstores","tag-haslam","tag-pinellas-county","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}