By Taylor Hale
STEVENS POINT – A staple in downtown shopping received a new owner earlier this summer.

Lindsey Jurgella, a Mid-State student, took over the shop on May 3. Jurgella served as manager of the shop for several years before taking the reins.

Former owner Bonnie Brown opened the shop in September of 1981. She said the shop used to be further down Main Street, near the current Radio KAOS, 968 Main St.

“I built a book loft, then I built a cat walk and another loft in the back. Then the current building came up for sale. So I put in a lot of elbow grease at both locations,” Brown said. “It just gradually grew and grew.”

She bought the current building in 1987. Brown’s brother is the owner of Bill’s Pizza, and admitted to “poaching” Jurgella from him after they met while Jurgella was serving as their waitress.

“I met her working at Bill’s Pizza, I used to wait on her all the time,” Jurgella said. “ Then I started to work for her about five years ago. To me, this was just like one of the coolest places to apply and work for retail experience, so I was really excited to join.”

The duo were both in attendance for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 19, hosted by the Portage County Business Council. The event celebrated the new management, and the prolonged life of a staple in the Stevens Point shopping scene.