Durham’s The Regulator Bookshop turned forty this month. From all of us at the Network: happy birthday!
The Regulator Bookshop has been at 720 Ninth St. since December 4, 1976. Back then, Durham was still very much a mill and tobacco town. Ninth St. was occupied by grills that served only breakfast and lunch; a hardware store; a post office. As founder Tom Campbell tells it, the bookstore’s opening was:
a harbinger of change to come. More change than we could ever have imagined at the time.
It’s impossible to name every luminary who has read and signed books at The Regulator in the past forty years. It’s safe to say pretty much anybody you might have heard of has had an event there, and plenty of lesser known—and relatively unknown—writers as well. Because The Regulator is above all a community bookstore, intent to serve.
“In our best moments we realize that this place exists only as a partnership with our community and our customers,” says Tom. “We hope you always feel free to contribute to our ongoing dialogue, and that you will want to participate in our partnership for many years to come.”
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 18, 2017, when The Regulator will have “a big anniversary party at the store, with refreshments, great company, local authors, and more!”
The Regulator is located at 720 Ninth St. in Durham: www.regulatorbookshop.com.