Hearthfire Books turns the page with new owner

After more than a year of searching, Hearthfire Books in Bergen Park has a new owner, who says she’s now living her dream of being in the mountains and owning a bookstore.

Kappy Kling has left the hectic corporate life in Dallas, where she sold enterprise software, in favor of a slower pace as a bookstore proprietor.

Kling bought the store from Lori Underwood, who formerly lived in Evergreen but now lives in Connecticut. Underwood wanted the Hearthfire owner to be local.

Kling’s brother and his family have lived in Evergreen for many years, so she and her daughter, Katie Ann, 5, have visited here many times.

“On a particularly bad day, my brother called to say (Hearthfire Books) was for sale,” Kling said. “It was the right call at the right time. I checked it out. I had been in the store, so I was familiar with it. And I just said to myself, ‘We can do this.’ ”

Now that she’s taken the helm, she hopes to help the store evolve.

“I think one of the benefits of Hearthfire is that it’s been around for so long. People know it and support it. We want to expand upon that.”

She hopes to expand the children’s area in the store, adding educational toys. She also wants to focus on the needs of the active Evergreen community with more information on hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities.

“We’re definitely not going to (make changes) immediately,” Kling said. “I really want to spend time with our customers and find out what they need. We’re going to be proactively working with our customers and those who don’t use us to find out what we need to improve.”

Hearthfire Books can be reached at 303-670-4549.

Wild Eye moves down the hill

The Wild Eye gallery packed up its artwork and picture frames and moved out of Evergreen last weekend.

It has moved down the hill to 1105 S. Huron St., and will change its focus to framing and graphic design to tie in better with the other home-decorating businesses in the area.

“We have been here (in Evergreen) going on our seventh year,” said owner Dennis Dunn. “With the economy taking a downturn, my wife had to get a job (to help us make ends meet). With the gallery, merchandise, marketing and framing, it was more than I could handle by myself.”

Dunn grew up in Evergreen and had a dream to make Evergreen an arts center like Taos and Santa Fe, N.M.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to weather through the economic downturn,” Dunn said. “Who’s to say that in one, two or five years what Evergreen will be like in terms of the arts community?”

With Wild Eye closing, 22 local artists won’t have a place to show their work. A few of them will show and sell their work at Parkway Salon in Evergreen.

“I love Evergreen,” Dunn said. “I love being here, and I’m going to miss everyone.”

The store is keeping its phone number, 303-670-9252,

Curtain coming down on Blockbuster

Evergreen’s Blockbuster movie rental store on Stagecoach Boulevard has begun a liquidation sale as it prepares to close on Sept. 30.

Manager Nicole, who would not give her last name, said it was a corporate decision to close the store, which has been a mainstay in Evergreen for close to 20 years.

“The customers have been very understanding,” Nicole said. “It’s going to be inconvenient for them when we close.”

The store’s four employees have been offered positions at other Blockbuster stores down the hill.

Contact Evergreen resident Deb Hurley Brobst with business story ideas at deb@evergreenco.com or 303-350-1041. Check www.CanyonCourier.com for updates.