Matt Aragon-Shafi, the manager, wants to carry on Harvey\u2019s work. The 36-year-old\u00a0has been a fan of West Side Books since browsing its shelves when he attended nearby North High School. He has worked at the store for eight years.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the heir. He gets to take it and run,\u201d Harvey said as she and Aragon-Shafi sat in a little nook at the front of the store. \u201cMatt showed interest, enthusiasm, ability, intelligence and the ability to work hard. He\u2019s very strong. He has a supportive husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harvey and her staff built up the online services to keep going during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when people stayed out of most stores. Customers can now roam through the narrow aisles to look for books or order them online. Aragon-Shafi has helped boost the store\u2019s social media presence.<\/p>\n
Harvey, however, acknowledged that keeping the doors open will likely mean downsizing and might require selling off parts of the business, such as the used-book collection. West Side Books\u2019 rent recently more than doubled.<\/p>\n
\u201cLandlords can get Cherry Creek rents now, or property taxes are such that landlords have to push those limits because of what their costs are,\u201d Harvey said. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for an anonymous donor, we wouldn\u2019t even be able to say we could be here through the end of the year. That\u2019s big. If you\u2019re in retail and you don\u2019t have those last four months of the year, you\u2019ve just lost a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
The building\u2019s owners have said they want West Side Books to stay, but also have plans to develop the property, Harvey said. What portion of the current 3,200-square-foot space would be available for the store is unclear. A restaurant sits on part of the property.<\/p>\n
Harvey said Aragon-Shafi faces the challenge of figuring out \u201chow to keep it together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s smart, he\u2019s good. He will figure it out,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Is Aragon-Shafi ready for the challenge? \u201cI\u2019m as ready as I can be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Aragon-Shafi, who started in retail when he was 18, said he\u2019s learned a lot about the book business from Harvey. He has learned to be more reflective, to think before acting and to reach out when he needs something.<\/p>\n And he\u2019s learned about relating to customers in what is often a more close relationship than in other retail businesses. He\u2019s optimistic about being able to stay in the store\u2019s longtime home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may have to downsize, curtail our inventory, see what the neighborhood wants of us,\u201d Aragon-Shafi said.<\/p>\n![\"West](\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TDP-L-westsidebooks081925-cha-012.jpg\")
A neighborhood mainstay<\/h4>\n