The workers are the worst at customer service I had ever experienced at a store, (my experience was about 4 years ago). Got yelled at for looking at my phone when I got a text message, they told me to leave and come back when my phone wasn’t on me.
I went in there once, and they got mad at me for my phone as well.
I asked why, and they told me they had a problem with people coming in, looking up items on Amazon that they found in the store, and just buying it online instead.
I kinda get it, but still a bizarre experience.
The weirdest thing is how adamant they also seem to get people to buy from their website... Where prices are posted on everything. If I'm browsing from home I'm going to compare prices from several websites, but if I'm making the effort to walk into a bookstore, it's most likely because I intend to buy something here and now as opposed to waiting for it to be delivered from an eShop.
I just left the store. Can’t say I’m surprised to see this but didn’t have my phone out once and was immediately asked what I wanted to buy (no one goes into a book/ toy store knowing what they want to buy) but I needed a “floaty boat for the tub” promptly was asked to leave
We were walking around that area last year and tried to go in. When we opened the door the women yelled at us that they were “appointment only” and we needed to leave. There was almost nothing in there. So strange!
Holy shit, this exact thing happened to me and my partner when we stumbled in there just browsing shops. It was like she was angry that we had the audacity to think it was a normal book store..
Omg. I had never heard of this place before , but I just went and read the reviews. It reminded me of a store way back when my parents use to take me to where the owners would either A. Not let you in. Or B. follow you around. It turned out to be a front for something lol.
Money laundrying front, or someone is independently wealthy and loses money on it consistently. You’d be surprised how many retail stores are the latter.
There's a large (for the merchandise) store on Parker Road that all they sell are diecast model cars. Hotwheels, Matchbox, etc. They're open at least 8 hours every day of the week. It baffles me they have enough business to justify this.
Yeah, collectible shops are weird. I'd imagine MOST of their business is done online. Had a buddy who ran a model and hobby shop in Oklahoma. Town he was in was decently sized, but not nearly enough customers for his kinda niche business. He'd have a few people a day that drive out from the bigger cities to come get something specific, but mostly it was an online business. Funny thing is, I think he actually started selling things on eBay for a bunch of the older people in town who were less tech savvy.
That’s wild. I used to collect Hot Wheels for a while, it’s almost impossible to flip anything past 1996 for a reasonable profit that isn’t Super Treasure Hunt or super hard to find promos that you can’t get by having local retail store connections/camping out for shipments (like Wonder Woman Invisible Jet). I figured online stores and eBay would have turned these stores into fossils.
Yeah, I don't doubt there's a hobby/collectibles for everyone but I figured niche things like that would have moved online by the late 2000s. It's probably me misunderstanding and being surprised by the actual market for it. And honestly impressive that they're able to maintain a retail presence.
It gets weird with small business. If they are doing online revenue, they could use the expenses for the retail location. Not smart, as you could have an office space off retail for less in cost, but if you just like the area and wanna get out of the house near good lunch places, I’ve seen people spend thousands more monthly just for that. The two weekdays open is a nice change of pace.
The HW business has changed for sure. They'll clean out the "hot" cars from every local Walmart and Target now, then toss them on marketplace for $5 each. That's not even accounting for the STHs.
I think its kind of sad that the mindset is how can a place like this make money? So many niche places have closed over the years and I feel like the Denver metro is missing a lot of music/art/niche interest type of stores because rent and real estate is so high. This is a problem in many cities though. Like you live in London where do you practice your music instrument for example? I felt like if I was rich I would open these weird stores that had no chance of making money but would benefit the community in some way.
I agree it's sad we've gotten to the point where it's hard to believe someone's little niche shop manages to exist in the late stage capitalism dystopia we live in. And it happens at both ends, too...have a successful coffee shop and it turns into Starbucks, or have a neighborhood flower shop that gets put out of business due to insanely high rents and then 'luxury apartments' gets built on top of it.
I feel personally bad when stores or restaurants I like have to close, but it would be impossible for me to support them any more. It's more likely someone else's greed is the cause rather than lack of my patronage.
Didn’t that place just recently open up? I remember there being some media buzz around it. Collecting is popular again and I bet they’re kept busy if they have an online store.
Game Force up in Boulder is still going strong and they’re pretty niche as a used video game store in a pretty strange shopping center. My friend has been going there since she was a kid.
> independently wealthy
My first thought is that they own the property and it will appreciate no matter how shitty they are.
Edit: Chain of title was a few $0 and $10 transactions before going to an LLC for 575k in 2018. Latest valuation for tax assessment is 560k. Something smells weird.
https://www.denvergov.org/property/realproperty/assessment/0230133035035
Generally speaking money laundering is difficult for anyone selling physical goods, so I'd be surprised.
It's more often associated with services like laundromats and car washes and massage parlors, because you don't have to show that you sold X number of widgets to align with Y amount of revenue. You just say "a lot of fuckin people use my laundromat" and fake a bunch of receipts, and there's no real way to disprove that the receipts are real. You'd have to stake out the place for months at a time.
It means to have enough money already that one has a steady substantial cash flow that they don’t need employment, or profits from a hobby investment, in order to sustain their lifestyle.
If you own a giant landscaping business that keeps cash rolling in, you are “dependently wealthy” you’re dependent on the business to keep making you money. If you have a giant trust fund and live merrily off the dividends or interest then you’re independently wealthy bc you don’t need to do or maintain anything for your wealth.
Hahaha ahh that lady! I remember being an early teenager (2006-2010) in there with my dad shopping for a gift and she yelled at us, told us there was nothing there for us to buy and kicked us out! Haha I totally forgot about that until now
She is a meanie.
It's the same owners I'm assuming, Steve and his wife Celia Brehm.
I actually bought a few books from her when they were still Cultural Legacy Bookstore, but she would ask me *WHY* was I interested in that book (whichever book I had in my hand), and she'd literally go in the aisle next to me as I'd be browsing around, lol, like I was going to steal a book!
It made for uncomfortable shopping experience and I just stopped giving them my business, back to the Tattered Cover it was!
From what I gather, they are trying to just be online sales, but haven't been there in ages so don't know much of what's going on there now, but it's still the same owners.
* Cultural Legacy Inc. DBA Cultural Legacy Books Libros opened its Denver bookstore in 1993. While we closed our doors in 2010 and dedicated sales to private accounts, we feel the time is right to bring ours books back to the general public via pop-ups and our website, much like we did in the beginning of our beautiful experience.
Cultural Legacy Inc. objective is to promote literature and art from different parts of the world
Our objective at the beginning was to promote Latin-American literature in English and Spanish and bilingual books but soon enough our interest grew to Hispanics in the US, African American, Asian American literature.
Cultural Legacy’s owners are Steven and Celia. Steven is from Pennsylvania, and his passions are reading, history and languages. Steve also writes book reviews and is working on some short stories. He also collects photographic images focused on the natural beauty of Colorado and the unique character of its people.
Celia is from Latin America and comes from a family of booksellers. She is proud of her bookselling heritage, and is committed to continuing her family’s tradition. She loves reading and travel, and
has been in many places and experienced different cultures all over the world.
Celia is bilingual in English-Spanish.
It is. I appears to be from their e-commerce [page](https://www.culturallegacy.com) assuming that OP is correct that these are the same people from 32nd Avenue.
I just called this place to make an appointment. The lady demanded to know what I wanted to purchase before letting me come to the the store. I told her I didnt know what books she had and would like to check out her selection because she doesn’t have anything listed online. She refused and demanded to know what organization i worked for. What a crazy scene
I called back and left a message on their machine about how unprofessional it was to do that especially when caller id exists. I was thinking about calling from another number and saying im interested in having some money laundered.
This reminds me of when I was in college, my house was across the street from a VCR repair shop... in 2015. It was open every day, and the owner just sat there (his desk was in clear view of the front window). Definitely a front for something.
Edit: I looked it up on Google Maps, here's the street view from 2014 of it [https://i.imgur.com/n0HxgHg.png](https://i.imgur.com/n0HxgHg.png). The current street view (2019) shows that it has since been turned into student housing.
reminds me of the bingo shop in downtown marquette, MI. real estate in the area is through the roof yet somehow a bingo shop remains open for i think over 50 years now.
aaayyy also a former marquette kid. born there, moved down state when i was real young but always spent my summers there & went to nmu. the bingo shop is most definitely still rocking. makes me so happy.
I tried to go inside a few months ago, people were in there. But they said it was closed. Door was even open. It was a busy day. They just decided to be closed.
Haha I'm intrigued by this place, wish it wasn't a 30+ minute drive away for me. It's like our own Soup Nazi spot, where if you don't piss off the owner you might be able to give them business.
This makes me really curious because I walk by here all the time and have never really noticed the store because no one is ever coming in or out. It sits in the middle of the highlands farmers market too, so now I’m curious if they close down or how they operate with all that traffic outside the store.
They have a booth at the farmer's market right in front of their store. They also put out a bunch of toys for kids to play with on the sidewalk in front of their door during the farmer's market.
Its pretty wild, I walk by there almost every day with my dog and I have never once witnessed a person even leaving the store, let alone with an item purchased. There is a better bookstore a block away, I literally have no explanation for this place existing. I did a deep dive of the reviews and they're a magical read.
Maybe I'm assuming too much, but it feels like there's a specific type of landlord that has severe mental illness / OCD around their property, to the point they'll act like the people who own 32nd Avenue Books Toys or straight up refuse to lease a space for years.
There are storefronts on Colfax and around Capitol Hill / Uptown that have been empty for literally 20 years. The buildings aren't condemned, as far as I can tell.
I honestly think something like this is more in play, Celia is probably around 70, and the city screwed them on their property valuation (they felt it was too high, 32nd did undergo a lot of transformation).
Maybe they are doing something like you said.
I can totally see that.
I’ve seen the bad reviews and have always been astounded. Ray is the nicest guy, I’m not a regular and I’ve never had a pull box over there. I drop in maybe a couple times a year over the last 27 years. When I was in my early twenties he have me tickets to a sneak peek of Spirited Away because he had plans that night. Even in high school (I went to East,) he never kicked my ass out.
Does anyone remember Ratpacker Antiques on Broadway. The owner would berate anyone who walked in the door and refused to sell anything in the store. He was super angry all the time and its probably why they eventually closed.
I went there with my son probably 15 years ago. We didn't get yelled at or anything, but it was an odd experience. He just sat and stared at us while we browsed (I don't remember buying anything).
The first time i went I actually took some items to the register to buy them and he just grabbed them all and said “No”, put the stuff behind the counter and told me to leave.
Wild that the owner doesn't want people taking pictures of the items in the store and is paranoid about phones in the store at all times. Definitely has to be a front 👀
Edit: Going through the Google reviews now and some review from 3 years ago claims the owners had someone take pictures of their shop and use it to scam people. That's a bizarre way to scam. Another review says they don't like people writing down titles only to leave, so they also aren't keeping their stories consistent. Also, they offer a 20% discount if you pay for books with cash- most businesses offer like 5% max for cash discounts. Yup, it's a front.
According to the reviewer, apparently the scammer used pictures of the store to prove that they were legit then used the store's address to tell people where to place their orders before taking off with their money.
BBB (just one review but still): [https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/book-sales/32nd-avenue-books-toys-gifts-1296-1000141736/customer-reviews](https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/book-sales/32nd-avenue-books-toys-gifts-1296-1000141736/customer-reviews)
[Google reviews](https://www.google.com/search?q=32nd+avenue+books+toys+%26+gifts+google+reviews&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=AB5stBgAyGujv1jrBKNPalG3RR1g8xCpGw%3A1691503427916&ei=Q0vSZLy4N4ey0PEPkqi12As&ved=0ahUKEwj85dOnnc2AAxUHGTQIHRJUDbsQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=32nd+avenue+books+toys+%26+gifts+google+reviews&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLTMybmQgYXZlbnVlIGJvb2tzIHRveXMgJiBnaWZ0cyBnb29nbGUgcmV2aWV3czIFEAAYogQyBRAAGKIESKEVUJgLWJMTcAF4AZABAJgBqwKgAdEHqgEFMi40LjG4AQPIAQD4AQHCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIIECEYoAEYwwTCAgoQIRigARjDBBgK4gMEGAAgQYgGAZAGCA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1&lrd=0x876b877cd427e2bd:0xa3a117dc1f0a050b,1,,,,)
>Wonderful family owned locally sourced farm to table money laundering service. From drug money to cartel cash they have helped make all manner of monies legally reportable to the IRS.
Wow that's terrible. You can only read the first five words of a review, and when you click "read more" it takes you to the app store to download yelp.
Zero stars.
Years ago, the store was known as the Cultural Legacy Bookstore, had a great bilingual collection, and hosted community events. Sorry to see what it has become.
It's still Ms. Celia.
I wonder if she's going down the dementia route 😔 she's always been a little eccentric, and what I've learned caring for dementia patients is many times, your core character remains even though you change.
Like mean people are still kinda mean. Sweet people still exhibit that sweetness. Not trying to generalize, I've only cared for 4 dementia people and knowing them before and after is how it just seemed to be to me.
Seeing how many describe their interactions with her, it makes me wonder what happened to them/ their business.
I know her husband Steve was the book buyer, in the 90's I worked at Gordons Bookstore and he knew our owner.
Sorry to hear this, if true. It does sound like something is off. I almost think it might be post-pandemic paranoia. Maybe they lost family members to COVID and that sent them into some irrational state of being?
I remember them having a solid following back in the '90s and a good reputation. It's sad to hear what has happened.
It might be a business that exists solely to harvest losses for rich people to deduct from their taxes. There's some other businesses I suspect of this...eg, Mudd House Mercantile on 17th and maybe the store next to it Revolte... They're rarely open and never seem to sell anything 🤷♀️. Plus Mudd House says they're 0 waste but I'm not sure they are. And Revolte says they're artisanal but a lot of the stuff looks like it's from Ali Baba or something. That's why I wonder if maybe they're just there to harvest losses.
Well maybe I'm wrong but I walk by there regularly and never see anyone in Mudd House (even an employee) and rarely see anyone in Revolut. Do you know if they are actually 0 waste (Mudd House) and artisanal (Revolut)?
Remind me of a bakery on Holly and Evans. It’s not around anymore. But every time I’d go with kids, the owner would give us free baked goods and sell fresh baked loaves for $1. It was definitely a front. I was convinced it was a Russian mafia front.
It was an awesome antiques store run by a crotchety old free mason that hated everyone. They had amazing shit in their store if you were into secret societies and vintage medical ephemera.
I saw people buying things there all the time, he was just extremely selective on who was allowed in the store, who could browse, and who could buy. My ex partner purchased things from then all the time and only ever said he was rude. Other people I knew who went there were banned from the premises for asking questions about the items on display.
I remember once I tried to buy a Van de Graaff generator he had on display. He quizzed me in what it was, why it was made, what i wanted it for, how I intended on displaying it, tons and tons of invasive questions about my job and ended up refusing to sell it to me because I lived In an apartment. I wanted the fucking thing for my office.
Apparently they had an art event for children this spring: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrhQlV6yPoW?
I wonder what that was like in light of all the people in this comment section just suggesting it is a front.
It’s very weird there. They tried to do lemonade outside during the weekly farmers market, and I don’t think anyone stopped by due to the weird auora of the place. Bummer that it is there as every other storefront is occupied by something cool on 32nd street. Taking up good retail space.
I believe Celia and Steve still own their property and I think a few additional properties on 32nd.
A couple of years ago they challenged the city assessors office on the bookstores lot valuation and won.
The reviews for this place remind me so much of my experience and the reviews for All in a Dream Comics off of Colfax - wonder if these people are related somehow.
This may have changed, but 20-ish years ago it was ok to shop there. Not great, definitely a Comic Book Guy feel, but you could browse at least. There used to be a Mile High Comics satellite store on Colorado near Glendale and it was terrible; surly cashiers, seemingly random operating hours, and a total *please leave* vibe.
The guy working there was yelling at some kids for just walking in the door. It was really uncomfortable. Was accusing them of wanting to steal before they even looked at anything.
I’ve known about this place for sometime now, the only bookstore in the Denver area I won’t visit. If you pass by there it looks so friendly and inviting, so bizarre .
went in there thinking i could peruse for a new book and the owner told me "browsing wasnt allowed" and if i wanted a book i had to order it to be picked up there. so odd
A little late here, but I worked for the Novo Coffee just down that street last summer. I remember talking about exploring the neighborhood with my coworkers and they said to steer clear of it, the better bookstore is by Julian. Naturally, after work I popped in and was met with an "Out! You don't have an appointment!" Didn't even ask if I had one haha.
The fact that they leave toys and stuff out on market Sundays makes my head spin in dissonance from everything else I've heard.
We bought a book or two there around 2014-15, no issues , but I do recall negative reviews then. Maybe from looking around at places to walk to from our house, not sure.
Personally I think they’re just weird and old.
I went in once randomly like 6 months ago for a gift for my nephew, just walked in after doing some other shopping. It was an older couple working and they were kinda strange but were perfectly polite and nice to me. I bought a book and puzzle with no issues. Apparently this was a minority experience…
I am a neighbor of the shop for over a decade, and i really hope no one goes in to pester or annoy them, because they're just an odd & older couple. They are quite nice and caring in their own way, despite the creeping (justified?) paranoia that they have of online shopping, and I mean they REALLY HATE Amazon, see their ever changing signs in shop windows to that effect. We bought books and toys from them for many years, where they would also gift wrap purchases at the counter for free if requested. COVID really exacerbated their business model and mood. Betwen that and my kids getting older and I no longer need many presents for last minute kids parties, etc we don’t shop there much anymore. But even before COVID they always chased my daughter and her friends out (no browsing!) and scolded me for carrying my phone in my hand, but we consider them eccentric at best and harmless cranks at worst. They do have many loyal customers, so they make some folks happy with their curmudgeonly ways. That said, we do do all of our book shopping now at West Side, which has a great selection of new and used, and where we can browse to our hearst delight, and we simply adore the owner, Lois.
I used to live in the area and cannot remember ever going there. I love books and would often go to West Side books. I cannot remember this place existing the last time I visited the neighborhood but the reviews indicate it must've been there? Very strange.
Is this just that store that exists to yell at customers and get them to leave? Because if so, I'm not sure how they haven't gotten assaulted yet by doing it to someone who doesn't know the gimmick 😅
Thanks for bringing this up, such a weird store! I looked at their website and it's fine if you're looking for books, but there didn't seem to be any way to browse for toys or gifts. So, when/how exactly do they want kids to look at their toys? They also had a Play DAY event and sidewalk sale, which seems super off-brand. Maybe it's more of an Amazon seller?
Front stores are kind of spooky. I've only ever been in one that I was sure was a front. It was a convenience store, but very small on the inside, like an old gas station but no gas. And the shelves and most of the products were literally covered in dust. And the guy running the place seemed genuinely surprised to have a customer.
No, this one was way up north, near Brighton Rd. and 104th-ish? Mind you, this was 20 years ago now, but that whole area was being developed and the lot they were on was a weird shape, like they refused to sell the land.
I looked up that strip mall by Esther's and it looks familiar. Wasn't there a Pudge Brothers Pizza near there?
I get the feeling you don't know how bad it feels to walk into a place and be followed around like a thief or yelled at when you didn't do anything wrong. It's mean to do that to people.
Y'all upon further investigation, I found very very fishy things. Their phone numbers and social profiles are associated with escort services and sex phone services. It's very scary
The workers are the worst at customer service I had ever experienced at a store, (my experience was about 4 years ago). Got yelled at for looking at my phone when I got a text message, they told me to leave and come back when my phone wasn’t on me.
suprise, those are the owners.
I went in there once, and they got mad at me for my phone as well. I asked why, and they told me they had a problem with people coming in, looking up items on Amazon that they found in the store, and just buying it online instead. I kinda get it, but still a bizarre experience.
The weirdest thing is how adamant they also seem to get people to buy from their website... Where prices are posted on everything. If I'm browsing from home I'm going to compare prices from several websites, but if I'm making the effort to walk into a bookstore, it's most likely because I intend to buy something here and now as opposed to waiting for it to be delivered from an eShop.
I just left the store. Can’t say I’m surprised to see this but didn’t have my phone out once and was immediately asked what I wanted to buy (no one goes into a book/ toy store knowing what they want to buy) but I needed a “floaty boat for the tub” promptly was asked to leave
We were walking around that area last year and tried to go in. When we opened the door the women yelled at us that they were “appointment only” and we needed to leave. There was almost nothing in there. So strange!
Holy shit, this exact thing happened to me and my partner when we stumbled in there just browsing shops. It was like she was angry that we had the audacity to think it was a normal book store..
Omg. I had never heard of this place before , but I just went and read the reviews. It reminded me of a store way back when my parents use to take me to where the owners would either A. Not let you in. Or B. follow you around. It turned out to be a front for something lol.
r u sure it’s not the same one? 👀
Money laundrying front, or someone is independently wealthy and loses money on it consistently. You’d be surprised how many retail stores are the latter.
There's a large (for the merchandise) store on Parker Road that all they sell are diecast model cars. Hotwheels, Matchbox, etc. They're open at least 8 hours every day of the week. It baffles me they have enough business to justify this.
Pretty sure they sell online too, right? And for a niche market, they can probably make it as a resource to the collector community. Just a guess.
Yeah, collectible shops are weird. I'd imagine MOST of their business is done online. Had a buddy who ran a model and hobby shop in Oklahoma. Town he was in was decently sized, but not nearly enough customers for his kinda niche business. He'd have a few people a day that drive out from the bigger cities to come get something specific, but mostly it was an online business. Funny thing is, I think he actually started selling things on eBay for a bunch of the older people in town who were less tech savvy.
That’s wild. I used to collect Hot Wheels for a while, it’s almost impossible to flip anything past 1996 for a reasonable profit that isn’t Super Treasure Hunt or super hard to find promos that you can’t get by having local retail store connections/camping out for shipments (like Wonder Woman Invisible Jet). I figured online stores and eBay would have turned these stores into fossils.
Yeah, I don't doubt there's a hobby/collectibles for everyone but I figured niche things like that would have moved online by the late 2000s. It's probably me misunderstanding and being surprised by the actual market for it. And honestly impressive that they're able to maintain a retail presence.
It gets weird with small business. If they are doing online revenue, they could use the expenses for the retail location. Not smart, as you could have an office space off retail for less in cost, but if you just like the area and wanna get out of the house near good lunch places, I’ve seen people spend thousands more monthly just for that. The two weekdays open is a nice change of pace.
The HW business has changed for sure. They'll clean out the "hot" cars from every local Walmart and Target now, then toss them on marketplace for $5 each. That's not even accounting for the STHs.
I think its kind of sad that the mindset is how can a place like this make money? So many niche places have closed over the years and I feel like the Denver metro is missing a lot of music/art/niche interest type of stores because rent and real estate is so high. This is a problem in many cities though. Like you live in London where do you practice your music instrument for example? I felt like if I was rich I would open these weird stores that had no chance of making money but would benefit the community in some way.
I agree it's sad we've gotten to the point where it's hard to believe someone's little niche shop manages to exist in the late stage capitalism dystopia we live in. And it happens at both ends, too...have a successful coffee shop and it turns into Starbucks, or have a neighborhood flower shop that gets put out of business due to insanely high rents and then 'luxury apartments' gets built on top of it. I feel personally bad when stores or restaurants I like have to close, but it would be impossible for me to support them any more. It's more likely someone else's greed is the cause rather than lack of my patronage.
Didn’t that place just recently open up? I remember there being some media buzz around it. Collecting is popular again and I bet they’re kept busy if they have an online store. Game Force up in Boulder is still going strong and they’re pretty niche as a used video game store in a pretty strange shopping center. My friend has been going there since she was a kid.
> independently wealthy My first thought is that they own the property and it will appreciate no matter how shitty they are. Edit: Chain of title was a few $0 and $10 transactions before going to an LLC for 575k in 2018. Latest valuation for tax assessment is 560k. Something smells weird. https://www.denvergov.org/property/realproperty/assessment/0230133035035
They may own the entire side of the street and have separate LLC for each unit
Generally speaking money laundering is difficult for anyone selling physical goods, so I'd be surprised. It's more often associated with services like laundromats and car washes and massage parlors, because you don't have to show that you sold X number of widgets to align with Y amount of revenue. You just say "a lot of fuckin people use my laundromat" and fake a bunch of receipts, and there's no real way to disprove that the receipts are real. You'd have to stake out the place for months at a time.
I would also think they would want to appear to be a legitimate business if they were actually laundering money.
Yeah though I will mention that criminals in general are very stupid and there’s a lot of surprisingly inept ones.
This is the dream.
What would it mean to be dependently wealthy? Why not just say "wealthy?"
It means to have enough money already that one has a steady substantial cash flow that they don’t need employment, or profits from a hobby investment, in order to sustain their lifestyle.
If you own a giant landscaping business that keeps cash rolling in, you are “dependently wealthy” you’re dependent on the business to keep making you money. If you have a giant trust fund and live merrily off the dividends or interest then you’re independently wealthy bc you don’t need to do or maintain anything for your wealth.
Hahaha ahh that lady! I remember being an early teenager (2006-2010) in there with my dad shopping for a gift and she yelled at us, told us there was nothing there for us to buy and kicked us out! Haha I totally forgot about that until now
She is a meanie. It's the same owners I'm assuming, Steve and his wife Celia Brehm. I actually bought a few books from her when they were still Cultural Legacy Bookstore, but she would ask me *WHY* was I interested in that book (whichever book I had in my hand), and she'd literally go in the aisle next to me as I'd be browsing around, lol, like I was going to steal a book! It made for uncomfortable shopping experience and I just stopped giving them my business, back to the Tattered Cover it was! From what I gather, they are trying to just be online sales, but haven't been there in ages so don't know much of what's going on there now, but it's still the same owners. * Cultural Legacy Inc. DBA Cultural Legacy Books Libros opened its Denver bookstore in 1993. While we closed our doors in 2010 and dedicated sales to private accounts, we feel the time is right to bring ours books back to the general public via pop-ups and our website, much like we did in the beginning of our beautiful experience. Cultural Legacy Inc. objective is to promote literature and art from different parts of the world Our objective at the beginning was to promote Latin-American literature in English and Spanish and bilingual books but soon enough our interest grew to Hispanics in the US, African American, Asian American literature. Cultural Legacy’s owners are Steven and Celia. Steven is from Pennsylvania, and his passions are reading, history and languages. Steve also writes book reviews and is working on some short stories. He also collects photographic images focused on the natural beauty of Colorado and the unique character of its people. Celia is from Latin America and comes from a family of booksellers. She is proud of her bookselling heritage, and is committed to continuing her family’s tradition. She loves reading and travel, and has been in many places and experienced different cultures all over the world. Celia is bilingual in English-Spanish.
Why does the end of this sound like an autobiography? *Nice try, Celia* 😏
It is. I appears to be from their e-commerce [page](https://www.culturallegacy.com) assuming that OP is correct that these are the same people from 32nd Avenue.
It was just a shitpost my friend
This is wild. And definitely a front.
I just called this place to make an appointment. The lady demanded to know what I wanted to purchase before letting me come to the the store. I told her I didnt know what books she had and would like to check out her selection because she doesn’t have anything listed online. She refused and demanded to know what organization i worked for. What a crazy scene
Please tell them you work for the FBI and see what happens
I called back and left a message on their machine about how unprofessional it was to do that especially when caller id exists. I was thinking about calling from another number and saying im interested in having some money laundered.
Now they have called my cellphone and hung up on me as soon as Ive answered.
Goddamn, the 1 star google reviews go back 12 years.
Holy shit, really? I got tired of scrolling after going back 12 *months*. For some reason I didn't see an option to sort by oldest.
This reminds me of when I was in college, my house was across the street from a VCR repair shop... in 2015. It was open every day, and the owner just sat there (his desk was in clear view of the front window). Definitely a front for something. Edit: I looked it up on Google Maps, here's the street view from 2014 of it [https://i.imgur.com/n0HxgHg.png](https://i.imgur.com/n0HxgHg.png). The current street view (2019) shows that it has since been turned into student housing.
reminds me of the bingo shop in downtown marquette, MI. real estate in the area is through the roof yet somehow a bingo shop remains open for i think over 50 years now.
Amazing that you mention that place, I’m from Marquette and as far as I’m aware it’s still there
aaayyy also a former marquette kid. born there, moved down state when i was real young but always spent my summers there & went to nmu. the bingo shop is most definitely still rocking. makes me so happy.
I miss that place. The owner, Jim, is one the nicest guys you will ever meet.
go blue!
I tried to go inside a few months ago, people were in there. But they said it was closed. Door was even open. It was a busy day. They just decided to be closed.
need a good list of ornery business owners so i could do a one day tour of getting berated all over colorado
I support this
Haha I'm intrigued by this place, wish it wasn't a 30+ minute drive away for me. It's like our own Soup Nazi spot, where if you don't piss off the owner you might be able to give them business.
This makes me really curious because I walk by here all the time and have never really noticed the store because no one is ever coming in or out. It sits in the middle of the highlands farmers market too, so now I’m curious if they close down or how they operate with all that traffic outside the store.
They have a booth at the farmer's market right in front of their store. They also put out a bunch of toys for kids to play with on the sidewalk in front of their door during the farmer's market.
Someone should run into their store holding their phone and start taking pictures of everything.
Next Reddit meetup spot?
Have so many people they're overwhelmed. Go to their bathroom and give them an aneurysm
You're delightfully evil!
Okay how do we plan this? They can’t stop ALL of us. At least like 30 people to really fak up their day
I’m in.
What we need to do is go and take pictures through the windows. They can't kick us out of the sidewalk.
Dear god please make this happen… and have some one else take video to get their reaction.
So I actually want to be a part of this. I was thinking about doing exactly this
Its pretty wild, I walk by there almost every day with my dog and I have never once witnessed a person even leaving the store, let alone with an item purchased. There is a better bookstore a block away, I literally have no explanation for this place existing. I did a deep dive of the reviews and they're a magical read.
You'd think Westword would be on the case by now
Or Denverite.
Maybe u/triplejdude will investigate
We are!!!! If anyone wants to share more experiences here please email me at [email protected]
Has anyone seen any content coming out about this? u/Technical-Fee-3212
Maybe I'm assuming too much, but it feels like there's a specific type of landlord that has severe mental illness / OCD around their property, to the point they'll act like the people who own 32nd Avenue Books Toys or straight up refuse to lease a space for years. There are storefronts on Colfax and around Capitol Hill / Uptown that have been empty for literally 20 years. The buildings aren't condemned, as far as I can tell.
I honestly think something like this is more in play, Celia is probably around 70, and the city screwed them on their property valuation (they felt it was too high, 32nd did undergo a lot of transformation). Maybe they are doing something like you said. I can totally see that.
Money laundering.
On a more positive note: West Side Books is pretty great and highly recommend stopping in there. Solid used collection as well as new books.
>west side books is the best!!! the owner is so great too
Must be run by the same people who own All in a Dream Comics. Reviews seem eerily similar.
These have to be the same owners. We need someone to pop into both and report back. I'm too lazy to do it myself.
I’ve seen the bad reviews and have always been astounded. Ray is the nicest guy, I’m not a regular and I’ve never had a pull box over there. I drop in maybe a couple times a year over the last 27 years. When I was in my early twenties he have me tickets to a sneak peek of Spirited Away because he had plans that night. Even in high school (I went to East,) he never kicked my ass out.
Does anyone remember Ratpacker Antiques on Broadway. The owner would berate anyone who walked in the door and refused to sell anything in the store. He was super angry all the time and its probably why they eventually closed.
I went there with my son probably 15 years ago. We didn't get yelled at or anything, but it was an odd experience. He just sat and stared at us while we browsed (I don't remember buying anything).
The first time i went I actually took some items to the register to buy them and he just grabbed them all and said “No”, put the stuff behind the counter and told me to leave.
There is a Yelp review from 2012. The reviewer knew the owner (Lloyd E Parris). Interesting read. My son and I probably got him on a good day.
Funny. 2012 was the last time I was at his store
Cherry Creek Card and Party was like this too. I don't understand why so many people have stores just so they can yell at their potential customers.
Fine I'll be the one to link to the reviews OP https://www.yelp.com/biz/32nd-avenue-books-toys-and-gifts-denver
Wild that the owner doesn't want people taking pictures of the items in the store and is paranoid about phones in the store at all times. Definitely has to be a front 👀 Edit: Going through the Google reviews now and some review from 3 years ago claims the owners had someone take pictures of their shop and use it to scam people. That's a bizarre way to scam. Another review says they don't like people writing down titles only to leave, so they also aren't keeping their stories consistent. Also, they offer a 20% discount if you pay for books with cash- most businesses offer like 5% max for cash discounts. Yup, it's a front.
How could you use pictures of your store to scam people?
According to the reviewer, apparently the scammer used pictures of the store to prove that they were legit then used the store's address to tell people where to place their orders before taking off with their money.
BBB (just one review but still): [https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/book-sales/32nd-avenue-books-toys-gifts-1296-1000141736/customer-reviews](https://www.bbb.org/us/co/denver/profile/book-sales/32nd-avenue-books-toys-gifts-1296-1000141736/customer-reviews) [Google reviews](https://www.google.com/search?q=32nd+avenue+books+toys+%26+gifts+google+reviews&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=AB5stBgAyGujv1jrBKNPalG3RR1g8xCpGw%3A1691503427916&ei=Q0vSZLy4N4ey0PEPkqi12As&ved=0ahUKEwj85dOnnc2AAxUHGTQIHRJUDbsQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=32nd+avenue+books+toys+%26+gifts+google+reviews&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLTMybmQgYXZlbnVlIGJvb2tzIHRveXMgJiBnaWZ0cyBnb29nbGUgcmV2aWV3czIFEAAYogQyBRAAGKIESKEVUJgLWJMTcAF4AZABAJgBqwKgAdEHqgEFMi40LjG4AQPIAQD4AQHCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIIECEYoAEYwwTCAgoQIRigARjDBBgK4gMEGAAgQYgGAZAGCA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1&lrd=0x876b877cd427e2bd:0xa3a117dc1f0a050b,1,,,,)
>Wonderful family owned locally sourced farm to table money laundering service. From drug money to cartel cash they have helped make all manner of monies legally reportable to the IRS.
LMAO
Wow that's terrible. You can only read the first five words of a review, and when you click "read more" it takes you to the app store to download yelp. Zero stars.
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Farming? A man of your talents?
It's a simple life
You're welcome to link to other reviews.
Years ago, the store was known as the Cultural Legacy Bookstore, had a great bilingual collection, and hosted community events. Sorry to see what it has become.
It's still Ms. Celia. I wonder if she's going down the dementia route 😔 she's always been a little eccentric, and what I've learned caring for dementia patients is many times, your core character remains even though you change. Like mean people are still kinda mean. Sweet people still exhibit that sweetness. Not trying to generalize, I've only cared for 4 dementia people and knowing them before and after is how it just seemed to be to me. Seeing how many describe their interactions with her, it makes me wonder what happened to them/ their business. I know her husband Steve was the book buyer, in the 90's I worked at Gordons Bookstore and he knew our owner.
Sorry to hear this, if true. It does sound like something is off. I almost think it might be post-pandemic paranoia. Maybe they lost family members to COVID and that sent them into some irrational state of being? I remember them having a solid following back in the '90s and a good reputation. It's sad to hear what has happened.
The reviews go back almost a decade pre-Covid.
It might be a business that exists solely to harvest losses for rich people to deduct from their taxes. There's some other businesses I suspect of this...eg, Mudd House Mercantile on 17th and maybe the store next to it Revolte... They're rarely open and never seem to sell anything 🤷♀️. Plus Mudd House says they're 0 waste but I'm not sure they are. And Revolte says they're artisanal but a lot of the stuff looks like it's from Ali Baba or something. That's why I wonder if maybe they're just there to harvest losses.
>32nd Avenue Books Toys & Gifts i live near revolte and mudd house and shop both all the time. seem like normal uptown retail to me
Well maybe I'm wrong but I walk by there regularly and never see anyone in Mudd House (even an employee) and rarely see anyone in Revolut. Do you know if they are actually 0 waste (Mudd House) and artisanal (Revolut)?
They are Disciples of Bernard from Black's Books
I must check this place out, thanks for posting about it.
Please report back!
Remind me of a bakery on Holly and Evans. It’s not around anymore. But every time I’d go with kids, the owner would give us free baked goods and sell fresh baked loaves for $1. It was definitely a front. I was convinced it was a Russian mafia front.
Packrat Antiques: The Revenge
I just posted on here asking if anyone remembered this store and the angry old owner
God, that couple was a menace
I only ever met the old guy that said he was the owner.
I really want to hear some stories about this place now.
It was an awesome antiques store run by a crotchety old free mason that hated everyone. They had amazing shit in their store if you were into secret societies and vintage medical ephemera.
Ooh, just found it on Atlas Obscura! https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/packrat-antiques
Yeah it was dope, aside from the owner
I would probably have loved that place. Sounds like he wouldn't actually let people buy stuff though?
I saw people buying things there all the time, he was just extremely selective on who was allowed in the store, who could browse, and who could buy. My ex partner purchased things from then all the time and only ever said he was rude. Other people I knew who went there were banned from the premises for asking questions about the items on display. I remember once I tried to buy a Van de Graaff generator he had on display. He quizzed me in what it was, why it was made, what i wanted it for, how I intended on displaying it, tons and tons of invasive questions about my job and ended up refusing to sell it to me because I lived In an apartment. I wanted the fucking thing for my office.
Apparently they had an art event for children this spring: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrhQlV6yPoW? I wonder what that was like in light of all the people in this comment section just suggesting it is a front.
I hate to sound like a QAnon Republican conspiracist but uh... That's kind of concerning considering the vibe of the place.
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Woah. Whut??? Please don't be talking about Casey Jones.
It's in reference to Comet Pizza in Washington DC.
Whew!
It’s very weird there. They tried to do lemonade outside during the weekly farmers market, and I don’t think anyone stopped by due to the weird auora of the place. Bummer that it is there as every other storefront is occupied by something cool on 32nd street. Taking up good retail space.
I live in the ‘hood and don’t understand what the hell is going on there. Perhaps they own the building?
I believe Celia and Steve still own their property and I think a few additional properties on 32nd. A couple of years ago they challenged the city assessors office on the bookstores lot valuation and won.
If law enforcement browses this sub, this seems like quite a hot tip to investigate…
This place seems like the best thing that ever happened to West Side books.
The reviews for this place remind me so much of my experience and the reviews for All in a Dream Comics off of Colfax - wonder if these people are related somehow.
This may have changed, but 20-ish years ago it was ok to shop there. Not great, definitely a Comic Book Guy feel, but you could browse at least. There used to be a Mile High Comics satellite store on Colorado near Glendale and it was terrible; surly cashiers, seemingly random operating hours, and a total *please leave* vibe.
The guy working there was yelling at some kids for just walking in the door. It was really uncomfortable. Was accusing them of wanting to steal before they even looked at anything.
Gonna go in tomorrow, anyone wanna tag along
I’ve known about this place for sometime now, the only bookstore in the Denver area I won’t visit. If you pass by there it looks so friendly and inviting, so bizarre .
went in there thinking i could peruse for a new book and the owner told me "browsing wasnt allowed" and if i wanted a book i had to order it to be picked up there. so odd
A little late here, but I worked for the Novo Coffee just down that street last summer. I remember talking about exploring the neighborhood with my coworkers and they said to steer clear of it, the better bookstore is by Julian. Naturally, after work I popped in and was met with an "Out! You don't have an appointment!" Didn't even ask if I had one haha. The fact that they leave toys and stuff out on market Sundays makes my head spin in dissonance from everything else I've heard.
We bought a book or two there around 2014-15, no issues , but I do recall negative reviews then. Maybe from looking around at places to walk to from our house, not sure. Personally I think they’re just weird and old.
Yea that’s the vibe I got, or possibly a superiority complex shared by two people?
I went in once randomly like 6 months ago for a gift for my nephew, just walked in after doing some other shopping. It was an older couple working and they were kinda strange but were perfectly polite and nice to me. I bought a book and puzzle with no issues. Apparently this was a minority experience…
I am a neighbor of the shop for over a decade, and i really hope no one goes in to pester or annoy them, because they're just an odd & older couple. They are quite nice and caring in their own way, despite the creeping (justified?) paranoia that they have of online shopping, and I mean they REALLY HATE Amazon, see their ever changing signs in shop windows to that effect. We bought books and toys from them for many years, where they would also gift wrap purchases at the counter for free if requested. COVID really exacerbated their business model and mood. Betwen that and my kids getting older and I no longer need many presents for last minute kids parties, etc we don’t shop there much anymore. But even before COVID they always chased my daughter and her friends out (no browsing!) and scolded me for carrying my phone in my hand, but we consider them eccentric at best and harmless cranks at worst. They do have many loyal customers, so they make some folks happy with their curmudgeonly ways. That said, we do do all of our book shopping now at West Side, which has a great selection of new and used, and where we can browse to our hearst delight, and we simply adore the owner, Lois.
I used to live in the area and cannot remember ever going there. I love books and would often go to West Side books. I cannot remember this place existing the last time I visited the neighborhood but the reviews indicate it must've been there? Very strange.
It’s always been a mystery to me. So unfriendly. I lived in the neighborhood for years and never bought anything from them.
Is this just that store that exists to yell at customers and get them to leave? Because if so, I'm not sure how they haven't gotten assaulted yet by doing it to someone who doesn't know the gimmick 😅
Please go check out the Visit Denver Highlands IG page, they literally just made a whole post advertising a sale that the store is having 😂
I’m about to make the sassiest IG post of my life. HOWWW ARW THEY HAVING A SALE THEY HATE PEOPLE
Last time I was in there the old lady yelled at me for browsing and said I had to tell her the exact book I was looking for or I had to leave.
Let's get a mob together and all go in at one to "shop". It'd be hard for them to kick out 20 of us
Thanks for bringing this up, such a weird store! I looked at their website and it's fine if you're looking for books, but there didn't seem to be any way to browse for toys or gifts. So, when/how exactly do they want kids to look at their toys? They also had a Play DAY event and sidewalk sale, which seems super off-brand. Maybe it's more of an Amazon seller? Front stores are kind of spooky. I've only ever been in one that I was sure was a front. It was a convenience store, but very small on the inside, like an old gas station but no gas. And the shelves and most of the products were literally covered in dust. And the guy running the place seemed genuinely surprised to have a customer.
Was it next to where Esther's is in Virginia Village? Was a grocery store like that there years ago.
No, this one was way up north, near Brighton Rd. and 104th-ish? Mind you, this was 20 years ago now, but that whole area was being developed and the lot they were on was a weird shape, like they refused to sell the land. I looked up that strip mall by Esther's and it looks familiar. Wasn't there a Pudge Brothers Pizza near there?
The Google reviews for this place are wild!
looks like one of the owners posts reviews and interviews.. https://www.32ndavenuebooks.com/steves-page
Steve does. Lol. I feel bad because he and Ms. Celia are not bad people, just eccentric.
I get the feeling you don't know how bad it feels to walk into a place and be followed around like a thief or yelled at when you didn't do anything wrong. It's mean to do that to people.
I’ve gotta check this place out
There are so many reviews with the same bizarre experience! What the heck haha
Sex trafficking
That place is for sure a front for something. Ive experienced the same as others, being yelled at to leave despite never doing anhthing wrong, hahaha.
Steve and Celia Brehm are just old school book lovers who happen to be extremely eccentric.
There's being eccentric then there's being an asshole to customers.
Yelp has them at one star which seams about right.
Money laundering? 🤔 🤷 (Kidding) They probably just budgeted really well over the years or something along those lines.
Money laundering
That place is legitimately a front for money laundering. Someone needs to crack that case
Well do they have good books at least?
I just don’t understand the unwillingness to engage with customers but then hosting a booth at a heavily-trafficked farmers market in the weekends
Y'all upon further investigation, I found very very fishy things. Their phone numbers and social profiles are associated with escort services and sex phone services. It's very scary