Jason Lake and Katherine Woehlert, who took over as Imprints’ owners in 2007 but were working there as booksellers for many years before that, announced the news on social media last week.

The pair said they had made the decision for “personal health reasons”, adding that they “hope there is someone out there who will, for many years to come, love and tend its bookshelves with passion, pride and dedication”.

The independent bookstore was originally opened at 80 Hindley Street on April 28, 1984, by its first owners, husband and wife Graham and Gayle Miller and friend Patricia Sykes, with Graham’s son Greg Mackie later becoming co-owner with Gayle.

Imprints moved to its current location, 107 Hindley Street, in 1999, and long-time employees Lake and Woehlert took over ownership eight years later.

“On the eve of celebrating 40 years of serving the dedicated readers of Adelaide, we’ve decided it is time to give Imprints a new life – and so too for us,” they said in their announcement of the sale.

“The world has changed a lot in 40 years. But as the pandemic proved, the book lives on. Long live the book!”

Imprints co-owners Jason Lake and Katherine Woehlert. Photo: Jack Fenby / InReview

Imprints, which describes itself as “an independent literary haven in Adelaide’s West End”, has been a stalwart in the shrinking bookstore landscape. It is much loved by both readers and writers, as evidenced by the comments posted online in response to Lake and Woehlert’s announcement and customers’ optimism that new owners will be found.

Lake and Woehlert themselves have many fond memories of their time working in the shop, some of which they have shared in an interview with former bookseller and InReview books columnist Jo Case. The feature, which can be read here on InReview, also highlights the important role Imprints has played in Adelaide’s literary and cultural landscape over the past 40 years.