Morley's Books, Carson City's longtime historic bookstore, will close with liquidation sale Friday
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 08/12/2021 - 1:50pm
Event Date:
August 13, 2021 - 11:00am
Carson City’s longtime beloved bookstore, Morley’s Books, is going out of business, and will have a sale of all of their inventory this Friday, Aug. 13.
In addition to the inventory of the bookstore itself being sold, the historic building, which has been everything from the first governor’s office in Nevada, to a brothel, a Wells Fargo livery, and more, will also be headed to the real estate market.
Mike Morley, Morley’s Books owner, had a lifelong dream to own a bookstore and live above it. According to Morley’s long-time friend Dan Kaffer, Morley set his eyes on the building during its life as an antiques and book shop, and often offered to purchase the building.
After 25 years, the previous owner passed, and his family offered Morley the first chance at buying the building, which he accepted, and has ran Morley’s Books and lived above it ever since.
However, Morley’s heath recently took a turn for the worse, and the bookstore is shutting down.
There will be a sale on Friday, Aug. 13 for all of the inventory, including furniture, bookcases, and antiques within the store. Deals include a $1 section, $20 for a pre-made box of books, and 35 percent off of all store inventory.
Morley’s Books boasts a collection of first edition, signed copies, a wide array of Nevada history books, vintage science books, and everything from Curious George to Stephen King and everything in between.
The sale will happen from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; afterwards, the store will be closed for good.
The building that contains Morley’s books, which will be placed on the market soon, has a rich history connected in many ways to Nevada’s history.
The building was completed sometime during the early 1860’s, and acted as the first office for the governor of Nevada.
It also acted as a livery for Wells Fargo, and has many strange secret “hidey-holes” and doors that go to nowhere built in, in what Kaffer guesses could have been built as a way to secure gold bullion or stage equipment for the company, and bamboozle burglars in the process of stealing.
“In the 160 years since it was built, the building has gone through many metamorphoses,” said Kaffer. “Some people have even said that in the 1930s, this area was a red light district, and this building acted as a brothel. Some people still say they can see the ghost of the madame walking up and down the stairs from the bar.”
The bar itself is something to behold, and will be sold along with the building. Historians have told Morley it comes from the Gold Rush era, with the original stained glass and filigree on the bar back indicating a timeframe of around 1860s through 1880s, according to Kaffer.
Over the years, the building has gained a reputation for ghostly interactions, and Kaffer has experienced at least one himself.
He recalled a time where he was supposed to go to a wedding at Pyramid Lake, where the guests and the bridal party would float in canoes. As he was doing inventory for the bookshop, a book suddenly flew out of the top of a bookcase and whacked him on the head hard enough to draw blood. The book was about a group of people who died in a canoe race in Canada. Soon after, he received a call that the bride had been in a car accident, totaling the car, and they would not be able to take the canoes out after all since there was no way to bring them.
“It was a sign. I think that ghost was trying to warn us not to take the canoes out on the lake,” said Kaffer with a laugh.
Others used to say there was the spirit of a young boy who followed around the bookstore’s dog, Holly. After Holly died, they said they never spotted the little boy again.
Morley’s books, and its historic building, have long been a cornerstone of downtown Carson City, and has never missed a Wine Walk until Morley’s health began to decline.
To learn more about Morley’s books, stop by tomorrow, Friday, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the closing sale, located on the corner of Curry and King Street in Carson City.
