2026 Mid Year John K. King Books Report

We begin with our financial report. It was a great 6 months at john K. King Books for our internet sales which were up 36%! The main store jumped 6%. Despite the discouraging Trump economy enveloping our country these figures show customers have not turned their backs on books. However, our Ferndale store sales plunged 17%. In Ferndale, our parking meters in front of the store have been removed and most of the block is now devoted to an enormous bus stop. And of course, the bike lane also contributes to the isolation of our building. When adding the economy to the formula it spells impending death. We can subsidize the store for a while, but not forever: we are hoping the second half of this year turns it around.

Around the House

Our book buying this year led us to a great 1960s-1970s library of a couple thousand music books (still being processed) from Abba to Zevon and lots of Beatles. Most are in an affordable price range. They were collected for the information instead of the rarity. There are some signed books which we placed in our first floor showcase. A gargantuan collection of Modern First editions that took two months to move, one vanful at a time, is now being processed. They range mostly from the 1950s to the 2000s. The nice thing about them is that they were bought new and (other than dust) appear fresh. Many smaller collections have entered our bookstream; one notable book is an early signed Leaves of Grass. Soon we will be coming out with early Michigan law books from the statehood era and lots of military aviation has also landed with us. Our art annex is stuffed with vintage art (including many already framed) and ready to fill your downtown apartment walls.

Medical Updates at John King Books

Toni, our office manager and superb cataloguer, had a very successful knee operation and is returning to work this month.

Detroit Festival of Books

Saturday, July 19th, is the Detroit Festival of Books, one of the best book festivals in the nation. They are expecting over 300 vendors, and from past experience, the variety and quality will be outstanding as always. The festival starts at 10:00am in Shed 5 of the legendary Eastern Market. Look for John King Books in that same shed! Take note: Our stand takes cash only, so come prepared!

EPILOGUE

In the last 6 months we were featured on Amazon's "Detroit Icons" series along with Henry the Hatter and Pewabic Pottery, available on Prime for streaming. In March, the bookstore was used to film scenes from a Ben Evans film based on a Josh Malerman novel whose other novel, Bird Box, was a huge commercial success on Netflix. In late April, a music video was filmed but we were sworn to secrecy about who it was! Our lips are sealed.

Now you're all up to date. We appreciate your patronage and hope you have a great summer. See you soon!