Ferguson Books is turning the page with move to downtown Fargo

WEST FARGO — Ferguson Books is opening a new chapter locally with a move to downtown Fargo.

Founder Dane Ferguson says the last day in the West Fargo store will be Wednesday, Oct. 23. The move from the Pioneer Place building to 214 Roberts Alley will be completed quickly, he said, with the store reopening by Nov. 1.

It was time to turn the page, Ferguson said Friday.

“We’ll miss West Fargo, we’ll miss some of the clientele, but really what we’re striving for is to be where there is lots of foot traffic, a strong cultural vibe,” he said.

Roberts Alley is a unique spot in Fargo’s downtown, and previous tenants in that area told him foot traffic and sales were good. Also,

the closure of Zandbroz Variety

created an opportunity in Fargo’s downtown for an independent bookseller, Ferguson said.

If the Roberts Alley spot works well, he said the bookstore could stay put, but if a more promising location becomes available in downtown Fargo, he may move again.

He recently shared news of the move on the store’s Facebook page.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

“We are excited to be a part of the VIBRANT downtown community of Fargo, just steps away from Broadway Square! Our semi-temporary location will be located on Roberts Alley near Beer and Fish and a

brand new bakery

!” the Facebook announcement said.

“In this new location, we still plan on having our author events, currently scheduled and future ones, and hope to expand our customer base,” the post said. “As we go through the holiday and winter months, we will assess how this location is treating us and will make a decision on a longer-term location in downtown Fargo.”

Parking in the Roberts Commons (RoCo) ramp gives customers easy access to the alley. Ferguson said it is perhaps 10 to 15 steps from the parking ramp exit door to his front door, and parking is free for two hours.

The store, which sells new and used books, will also offer curbside pickup and dropoff of books at the alley door.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

“We want to make it as convenient as possible,” Ferguson said.

Store hours will remain 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

At one time, Ferguson ran three Ferguson Books locations scattered around North Dakota.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

He opened Ferguson Books and More in Grand Forks in 2010. He sold that store last year to two former employees. The mother and son team of Patricia Reed and Sterling Reed then renamed it Silver Dawn Books.

Ferguson opened the Bismarck shop in late 2018. He closed it in April of this year after a planned sale fell through.

The West Fargo store opened in late 2020.

“We’re just excited to be part of the community,” Ferguson said. “We’re excited to see what the future holds.”