By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 commentator
Dallas, TX – If you love to read and you live in Texas, then you've been to a Half Price Books. Yesterday, co-founder Ken Gjemre died at age 81. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.
I still remember the first time I stepped into Half Price Books. My sense memory won't let me forget. The sight of all those books - cheap. There were housewives, businesspeople, students, just like you would see in any other bookstore - the only difference was the checkout counter. Instead of the usual one or two books purchased, that number was doubled or tripled or quadrupled. All that mattered was how much you could carry. And the smell - not like any other bookstore I'd ever been in.
Ken Gjemre had an idea. It was 1972, a time of rebellion and idealism. At the age of 51, when most people are settling into their careers, he had had it with the corporate world and left his successful job at Zale Corporation. As a decorated World War II veteran, Gjemre was active in the anti-war movement. He was an environmentalist and social activist who needed to make a living without compromising his ideals.
And so he approached his good friend Pat Anderson with his idea to recycle books. On all levels, they could feel good about what they were doing. So with $140 and the collection of all their old books, their business commenced in a small old laudromat on Lemmon and Inwood. Within eight months, they were busting at the seams. A second and third, and by 1975, a fifth store was opened.
They attracted all types of employees with their laissez-faire attitude. Shoes were the only required dress code. If you couldn't find a babysitter or afford day care, it was just fine bringing baby to work.
Half Price Books now has 73 locations in 11 states with annual corporate revenues of more than $100 million, employing over 13-hundred people. And according to HalfPriceBooks.com, since its inception, they have recycled more than 15 million books, saving approximately 600-thousand trees. Something Gjemre was just as proud of.
How many people have the gumption to follow their dreams, morals, and idealism in business? Mr. Ken Gjemre will be remembered for doing just that. For KERA Marketplace Middays, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 P.M.