It's the last chapter. The climax has come and gone. The characters have filled their roles, and the book is nearly finished.
Books Inc. and Book Lover's Cafe, a longtime local business, will officially close its doors in January, when going-out-of-business sales will be held. After the collection dwindles to a manageable amount, the store will officially close, and any remaining books will be sold online or donated to charity.
Owners Anne and Phil Haisley have decided to close the bookstore and retire after more than 20 years of business in Gainesville.
When the couple moved from Marion, Ind., in 1989, they brought their independent bookstore, now named Books Inc., with them and added the vegetarian Book Lover's Cafe shortly after.
After owning the bookstore for about three decades in two separate states, Anne Haisley, 71, said she and her husband are ready to retire.
"We got tired," Haisley said. "We're old. By January, Phil will be 78, and I will be 72, and it is a long time to work every day."
She said they have already been preparing for the close by calling customers with store credit. The bookstore, which sells both new and used books, accepts customers' used books in return for credit they can apply to future purchases.
She said they have several hundred customers with store credit, and they want to make sure people get to use it before they close.
Regular customers, like Peggy Henderson, 62, who has been eating at the cafe religiously for six years, are shocked and saddened by the store's closing.
"I wish I had the money to buy it and take it over," Henderson said. "It is really sad. I can understand why they are retiring though."
She said while she has only lived in Gainesville for six years, she knows the store has been around "forever."
Haisley said people feel like they are losing an important part of their life and an important part of Gainesville, especially people who have been customers at Books Inc. for a long period of time.
"Some people have been coming in here even before they were born," she said. "There are quite a few children whose mothers came here while they were pregnant and ate at the cafe every day and then came back after the kids were born. They grew up here, toddling around."
Haisley said this kind of relationship with customers is common and makes the decision difficult.
But even employees, who depend on the bookstore and cafe staying open, agree the couple deserves to relax.
Sarah Bryant, 25, a UF graduate with a degree in religious studies, has worked in the cafe for about a year and a half. During that time, she said she had suspicions they would be closing, but now it's really happening.
"It's unfortunate," Bryant said. "I think the food is good here, and it's a cool concept, but I am glad they are going to retire. They need to go take a vacation. They deserve it."
She said she has seen several customers upset by the news, and she is waiting to see how some of her regular customers react.
"A guy and his mom came in the other day," Bryant said. "He seemed really shocked. He said he didn't know where he was going to get a chimichurri sandwich anymore."
Haisley said while they have had two strong candidates looking to buy the property, neither could secure a mortgage, and, as of right now, the future of the land is uncertain.
She said she and her husband are hoping to sell the property before they close. And if that doesn't happen, they will continue to pay taxes on the property until the right buyer comes along.
"I always joke and say I will not sell to Hooters," Haisley said. "If they wanted to move here, they would be out of luck."
Book Lover's Cafe owners Anne Haisley, 71, and Phil Haisley, 77, pose for a photo Thursday. They have owned the Gainesville cafe, which will be closing its doors in January, since 1989.
