Former Tattered Cover owner Kwame Spearman and the Denver Book Society are parting ways after a social-media explosion over his legacy in Denver.
“It became clear that a change in leadership was needed,” the store wrote in a press release today, a month after it opened.
“Kwame is passionate about preserving independent bookstores and I’m appreciative of his early contributions,” Rich Garvin, Denver Book Society’s owner, wrote in a statement. “However, his continued involvement in Denver Book Society is not serving the mission of this bookstore. I’m fully committed to earning the trust of this community in how we show up every day as we move forward.”
Moving forward, Garvin will serve as the shop’s sole leader. Separately, Spearman claimed that the change was planned "from the very beginning."
Shortly after the Denver Book Society opened at 1700 Humboldt St., Spearman spoke to Denverite about his failure to save the Tattered Cover and his unsuccessful political run to be mayor and later Denver school board member.
He spoke about hard lessons learned that he planned to apply in his new leadership role.
Soon after, critics took to Reddit and Instagram and accused Spearman of supporting federal immigration enforcement efforts in the run-up to the 2023 election. 9News had published a story that year titled “Spearman says Denver should resume work with immigration agents.” Spearman said that was a mischaracterization and that he in no way supported immigration authorities.
Others blasted him for mistreating Tattered Cover workers
David Back, Spearman’s Tattered Cover co-owner, put it this way in an interview with Denverite: “Kwame badly mistreated the extremely dedicated and loyal Tattered Cover staff. He's a bully who makes himself feel big by making others feel small. Kwame thought he was the captain of the Titanic, but actually, he was the iceberg.”
Garvin, who ran an events business in San Francisco before moving to Colorado several years ago, said he and the Denver Book Society firmly support immigrant rights and will demonstrate that through ongoing programming.
The store, branded as a “third place” where Denverites can gather and discuss tough ideas, has dedicated shelving to authors from diverse cultural backgrounds and will donate proceeds to the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition on a quarterly basis.
“This is my greatest passion project; I’m sorry that personnel choices alienated the Denver community and that I failed to recognize these issues in advance,” Garvin wrote. “I hope that the steps we’re taking will instill confidence that we’re committed to creating a safe gathering place for inclusive conversation, and literary programming that inspires connection.”
When asked for comment, Spearman pointed Denverite to an explanation for his departure that he published in Westword on Friday.
“Bookstores should be places of quiet discovery, not headlines,” he wrote.
Spearman, who served as the Denver Book Society’s book buyer, had always intended to back out of the store, he wrote.
“From the very beginning, the plan was that once we reached this point, I would transition out of my role in the business and the bookstore would move forward under Rich’s sole leadership,” Spearman wrote. “This transition is not a change in direction. It is the completion of the original plan.”
