Thanks to community support, Paperback Exchange in Minneapolis to reopen in new spot after flood

A Minneapolis bookstore has found a new home after devastating flooding closed several businesses in the area, and they didn't have to look far.

More than a year after a water main break destroyed most of its inventory, Paperback Exchange is preparing to reopen in a new location just steps away from the bookstore's longtime home at 50th Street and Penn Avenue South.

The beloved used bookstore was devastated in February 2025, when a water main break flooded the business, destroying roughly 100,000 books and forcing it to close.

Owner Andrew Hersey said insurance covered only a fraction of the losses. With the city saying it is not liable, Hersey relied on fundraising efforts and sales at book fairs to keep the business alive.

Now, 20 months later, Paperback Exchange has found a new home inside a nearby house, located roughly 100 feet from the storefront it occupied for decades.

"We knew we wanted to keep the store in the neighborhood," Hersey said. "Being so close, we couldn't really ask for more."

Hersey credited the former homeowner for helping make the move possible.

"She believed in the idea. She wanted to help us out," Hersey said. "She thought it would be great for the neighborhood."

Community support has played a major role in the bookstore's recovery. An online fundraiser has raised more than $62,000.

"The GoFundMe in particular was huge and just enabled us to pay bills and eventually make a deal for this property," Hersey said.

The new store is expected to open in the spring. Hersey said the target opening date coincides with Independent Bookstore Day in April.

Despite the long road back, Hersey said the community's response gave him confidence the bookstore would survive.

"The immediate and sort of tremendous response from the community to help us rebuild always gave us hope that we could do it," he said.