At Literati Press’s 15th anniversary last fall, owner Charles Martin announced that he’d be transferring ownership to the Writer’s Co-Op.
He has been operating a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the Paseo Arts District for ten years, with a co-op for writers opening in late 2024. Since his mother passed, Martin had been thinking about the store’s future, and with the co-op, he saw a path.
“The problem with having a small business is usually a small business is run by one person, you know, how long can they keep this thing alive?” Martin said.
“Family-owned businesses are very rare going generation to generation, but whenever you have something like this, it can continue to evolve as the community of owners feel that it needs to evolve. So it doesn’t have to be my vision forever. In fact, it’s going to be way more sustainable and way more vital to Oklahoma City, if we all get a say in what this thing means.”…