Roxy’s Emporium, a new bookstore and gift shop focused on local authors and artists, is set to open at 374 Broad St. in Elyria. Deborah Born, the owner of Roxy’s Emporium, stated that her vision is to provide a space for writers and artists who do not have a place to showcase their work. “My concept is truly local,” Born explained. “I want a place for local people to put their work up.”
Roxy’s Emporium, a new bookstore and gift shop dedicated to local authors and artists, is set to open at 374 Broad Street in Elyria. (Clara Wicinski, The Morning Journal) The bookstore will only carry new titles by local writers, with shelves of used books organized by genre.
Born stated that she already has nine local authors and hopes for more. She also stated that the shop will host local vendors who rent space to sell handmade products such as candles, teas, artwork, and jewelry.
Born said her involvement with bookselling dates back 15 years, when she ran Roxy’s Reads in Amherst. Local vendors will also rent space in the shop to sell their handmade products, such as candles, teas, artwork, and jewelry. (Clara Wicinski, The Morning Journal) She then ran a store across from Elyria High School for four years before closing. Born said the Broad Street location came about after building owner Dan Martin encouraged her to open a bookstore on his property.
“When I saw the building, I fell in love with it,” she told me. Born stated that the name Roxy’s has a long history with her and her husband, Mark, who have been married for years. She claimed that while stationed in Iraq, the military instructed her husband not to reveal any personal information about his family.
Born claimed that her husband made up a wife, an ex-Las Vegas showgirl named Roxy. The bookstore will only sell new titles by local writers, with shelves of used books organized by genre. (Clara Wicinski, The Morning Journal) The nickname stuck, and Born says she has used it in her businesses ever since. “People who don’t know me think that’s my name,” she told me. “And, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Born stated that her goal is to give Elyria something new while also strengthening the community. “I just love my city,” she said. “I want to bring it back. “Any business will do that, and this is my way of contributing to it.” Roxy’s Emporium is scheduled to open on September 15th, pending paperwork, said Born.
