In a move bookended by community connection and business necessity, Jan’s and Arcade Book Exchange is set to relocate to the six corners area of Raleigh Hills.

Owner Lori Carroll is consolidating after taking over Arcade Book Exchange in Hillsboro and Jan’s Bookstore in Beaverton in July 2022, citing challenges at its current location. This change marks a significant transition for the historic local bookstore — closing operations at its current location Aug. 10. 

The new Jan’s and Arcade Book Exchange — with a new title yet to be announced — will open Aug. 26 at 4838 S.W. Scholls Ferry Road in Raleigh Hills, continuing its mission of providing a welcoming space for book lovers of all genres.

“Jan’s has always been about the neighborhood and supporting and helping people and being a safe space, a queer-safe space. (The new landlord) said, ‘we want that in our building.’ They reached out to us, and we made it (happen) really fast,” Carroll said.

The Arcade Book Exchange has been providing the people of Washington County with a wealth of books for over 50 years.

‘The universe spoke’

Last year, Carroll realized that operating both Jan’s and Arcade separately was no longer sustainable, coupled with increasing rent costs at the Beaverton location. In August 2024, Carroll decided to move Jan’s under Arcade’s roof in Hillsboro.

The cramped, windowless space and conflicts with the neighboring FLIP Museum have prompted the move to a more accessible and welcoming venue.

For Carroll, the community that Jan’s brings in means everything, and “the cave” that the store currently sits in behind the FLIP Museum doesn’t provide an adequate safe space for community members. 

“A lot of our customers are elderly and use mobility devices, and they don’t feel safe walking down the hallway,” Carroll said.

The new location offers several advantages: proximity to major roadways, ample parking with Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant spaces and a landlord who specifically sought out the bookstore for its community-focused approach.

“The new landlord called me because they really wanted us, they knew about us, they knew that we love our community,” Carroll said.

Carroll noted how serendipitous the timing of the move was. “The universe spoke,” Carroll said.

New generations, new chapters

More than just a business relocation, the store reflects the broader significance of independent bookstores in maintaining community connections. Carroll emphasized the store as a space spanning generations, where customers who once visited as children now bring their own kids.

“People really need and want to have spaces that they can walk into and feel safe and comfortable, and bookstores pretty much always provide that,” Carroll said. “It’s just that really welcoming, familial, traditional vibe, and you get to experience it for generations.”

The new move represents both a challenge and an opportunity for this local business. In today’s competitive retail environment, independent bookstores often have to conduct a delicate balance in order to survive.

Carroll said that Oregon is generally supportive of bookstores, but profit margins are small, making it a labor of love rather than a profitable venture.

“You’re trying to figure out how to make money, you’re trying to get new customers and you’re trying to get your old customers to spend a bit more, but also not trying to break their banks,” Carroll said.