Preview opening a success for LMLC
For the first time since 2021, the year Larry Mc-Murtry died, his famous bookstore reopened to the public as the Larry McMurtry Literary Center (LMLC). On a wet and cold Saturday, March 8, before the official opening time of 10 a.m., patrons waited in their parked cars, peering through rainy windshields and awaiting the signal that volunteers were ready to receive them.
After the doors opened and until midafternoon, a steady stream of book lovers and McMurtry fans poured into the wood-paneled room where the Pulitzer-prize winning author and professional book collector once spent most of his time in Archer City. They came in smalleryet significant--numbers on Sunday. The event was sponsored by the Wichita Falls North Rotary Club, and on Friday evening, a small, private opening was held for club members and special guests, including McMurtry’s siblings.
Since purchasing the building from Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper and Magnolia fame in October of 2024, volunteers of the Archer City Writers Workshop, the organization that purchased and now oversees the Larry Mc-Murtry Literary Center, have spent countless hours sprucing up the place, removing cobwebs and dust and relocating, reorganizing and evaluating books.
After several brainstorming sessions, they decided to open part of McMurtry’s book collection to serve as a preview of things to come and raise funds for operating expenses, repairs and new construction projects. In exchange for a $25 donation, guests are invited to select a book from the shelves in the front part of the building. This arrangement will continue weekends through March and possibly into April while more specific plans are made for the future design of the building.
“Thank you for doing this,” was a statement guests made to volunteers over and over. Many were return visitors, happy to see the former Booked Up #1 looking much like it had during their previous trip. Some were first timers grateful for the chance to see the bookstore they had planned to visit “one of these days” but never had. Still others were there by chance. A pair from Newcastle, for example, had recently moved to the region. They were passing through, saw the commotion, and decided to stop.
In addition to coming from the local area, guests drove in from all over the state, including Austin, San Angelo, Abilene, Forney and various locations in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. People came from outof- state as well, from places such as Norman, Oklahoma; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Hobbs, New Mexico.
One couple stopped in Archer City on their way home to Spring Lake, Iowa, from South Padre Island. Unaware the former bookstore would be celebrating a rebirth, the McMurtry fans from Iowa had already planned to pass through town to catch at least a glimpse of the place. Serendipity brought them inside on opening day.
“To me, the big takeaway of the weekend was the public’s response,” LMLC director George Getschow says, reflecting on the day.
He delighted in hearing stories of guests and uncovering mysteries, such as the origin of a wooden guestbook signed by well-known authors that hangs on the wall. Khristal Merklin, who managed the bookstore for McMurtry some thirty years, dropped in with her son Lane Collins, of Houston, who grew up in the store. She explained the origins of the unique piece that had mystified Getschow and managing director Kathy Floyd for months.
“As we are open to the public, the public is informing us about the history, about the intrigue of this place.”
Floyd shares the same sentiment. “I was really pleased with the attendance, despite the weather,” she says. “And, I was surprised at how many people were so excited to be back and how much the place meant to them.”
Several people told stories about their previous visits to the store when McMurtry was alive, while some even recalled the days when the current book sanctuary was a car dealership. Wichita Falls resident Dr. Blaine Purcell spent much of his childhood in Archer City and explained that his father, Graham Purcell, who would later serve in the U.S. House of Representatives (1962-1973), bought a shiny new truck in the Perry Pittman Ford showroom that now welcomes book enthusiasts.
Cari Weinberg owns a small tour company in Dallas and hopes to expand its offerings to smalltown Texas, maybe Archer City. After visiting this past weekend with her husband, she recruited a friend and signed up to volunteer. Being inside the LMLC reminds her of a special day many years ago when she visited Booked Up with her mom who has since passed away.
“We spent the night at The Spur, checked out the Lonesome Dove Inn, and spent hours the next day going through the shelves at four Booked Up buildings,” Weinberg recalls.
On her Instagram post she writes, “Being in this space with so many readers, writers, and people who just love this part of the world felt truly special.”
It's a familiar story told by many returning visitors. They tell it with a smile on their faces, a sparkle in their eyes and a book or two in their hands.
