![]() ![]() Kate DiCamillo describes a visit to Wild Rumpus as “like walking into a story” and entering “a world of animals and books and possibilities.” Soman Chainani calls Wild Rumpus his favorite bookstore, declaring, “It’s an entire universe: once you go in, you feel like you are walking through a portal into Narnia.” Authors are even more effusive in praising Wild Rumpus. PW’s 2015 Rep of the Year, Jenny Sheridan of HarperCollins, nominated Wild Rumpus, describing it as a “unique, charming, and magical place that specializes in children’s books” and is “one of the best in the nation,” a destination in its community and a favorite stop for authors on tour. ![]() It is also the first bookstore of the year to have a municipal pet store license, undergo animal control inspections, and have an employee dedicated to animal care. It is the first children’s bookstore to win the award since PW launched the program almost a quarter-century ago. "The more we see kids engaging with electronics, the more we see them falling in love with books, the real thing.Wild Rumpus, which is marking its 25th anniversary in September, has yet another cause for celebration: the Minneapolis bookstore is PW’s Bookstore of the Year. "The death of the books is greatly exaggerated," she said, loosely quoting Mark Twain. What does the future hold? More books, Morgan said. The shop employs 18 people and is open seven days a week. "A pig in a blanket," Morgan said with a chuckle.Īlthough the menagerie isn't for sale, Wild Rumpus has a pet-store license so Minneapolis officials can inspect and ensure the safety and well-being of the animals. But Norman and the cats had words about the litter box and Norman went to live out his life at the home of a woman who owned a quilt shop. At one time, Norman, the potbelly pig lived at the store, too. Today, the store has cats, a chicken, birds, rats, ferrets, chinchillas and lots of fish (in the bathroom). Morgan figured that if she was going to work 80-hour weeks, she wanted animals with her. She heard all the horror stories about starting a small business: You'll work 80-hour weeks, you'll never get rich, the location is terrible. We wanted to make it comfortable for the littlest through the biggest" and to have events for all ages. Those were "really nothing that any sophisticated teen would want to walk through," Morgan said. Most, she said, were decorated in primary colors and had, perhaps, a train set running through the store. She and her husband had researched children's bookstores in the United States and in England. ![]() When Odegard closed, it was either work for another bookseller or start an independent shop. Morgan had worked for Odegard Books at a time when corporative bookstores were flourishing and moving into the Twin Cities market. Morgan and her then-husband Tom Braun (now ex-husband) started it in 1992. 43rd St., is, of course, named for Maurice Sendak's classic "Where the Wild Things Are." (Taken from when young Max cries out: "Let the wild rumpus start!") "It's just outstanding, way beyond our wildest dreams." "We're shocked," co-owner Collette Morgan said. It's the first time the award has gone to a children's bookstore. The trade publication on Monday named the Linden Hills shop its 2017 Bookstore of the Year. Now it's a favorite of Publishers Weekly, too. Wild Rumpus Books, where stories about dragons and superheroes reside with a menagerie of live animals, has been a favorite in south Minneapolis for the past 25 years. ![]()
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