South Congress Books Losing Kerbey Lane Home

South Congress Books owner Sheri Tornatore (pictured here in 2023) has announced that the antiquarian and vintage bookstore will be closing its brick and mortar location on Kerbey Lane. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Austin loses another literary institution with the announcement that, only two years after being forced from its original location, South Congress Books will be closing its brick and mortar store in North Central Austin.

Co-owners Sheri Tornatore and Allison Faust announced the closure over the weekend via social media. They explained, “We’ve reached the end of the final chapter of South Congress Books on Kerbey Lane (the Sequel).”

The duo wrote: “After two years of valiantly trying to survive (if not thrive) in our new location, we’ve made the hard decision not to renew our lease. That means we are packing up & moving out in January. We deeply appreciate your business over the years & truly hate to go, but keeping the shop open beyond the current year is not sustainable or prudent. Thank you for your support & well wishes, & please visit us during these final weeks.”

Tornatore originally opened the vintage and antiquarian store on South Congress in 2011, and it soon became a mainstay of the area’s wealth of independent shops. However, after 12 successful years, the store suffered the same fate as many local merchants and was priced out through rent increases. At the time, Tornatore told the Chronicle that “it was a good run” but with the changes in the neighborhood “it doesn’t feel like old Austin, certainly not where we were.” Tornatore was able to relocate to a smaller store on Kerbey Lane, which she called “fun [and] quaint.” However, after being away from the hustle and bustle of South Congress, manager John Barton told the Chronicle in November 2023 that it felt like they’d lost much of their original clientele, and the limited parking on Kerbey made it difficult to attract new customers.

The store will now hold what’s being called an Epic Epilogue Sale, with all items 10% off through Christmas Eve, rising to 20% through the final day of business on Jan. 5.

The bright news for readers and collectors is that this does not mean the complete end of South Congress Books, as its online store will continue to operate through eBay, and on Abebooks.com as Tornbooks. For those of you that still love to peruse the shelves, South Congress Books will continue to pop up at Uncommon Objects and Antiques of Oakmont.