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    If the shelving looks familiar at Déjà lu Books, it’s because you’ve seen it before at a Borders bookstore.

Photo by Ben Wiebesiek

Adam Parker, owner of the new Déjà lu Books, said all of his store’s inventory was also available on the website and purchase or reserve for store pick-up at www.dejalubookstore.com.

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    The husband- and- wife owners of Déjà lu Books – Adam and Jodi Parker – bought the shelving from a Borders in Longmont that was closing its doors.
    And it’s this touch of tenacious survival that reflects a growing trend in the industry: a mom-and-pop business that is vital and profitable in the community just as the big box stores stumble in the Internet age.
    Déjà lu Books, 8350 Colorado Blvd. in Firestone, has had an online following long before the store front opened.
    “This store was a new idea,” Adam Parker said. “My wife had started selling books online, just a few books at a time. And it kind of built up slowly where she was doing more and more inventory. We shopped enough in the area, and we we’re selling enough books that we though, why not? We should have a store here.”
    As the only bookstore in the Carbon Valley area, Déjà lu Books has already seen a large demand for books. The store opened its doors Jan. 11 with 12,000 used books.
    “The used book sales are recession proof because when the economy’s down, nobody wants to go and spend $30 for a book,” Adam said. “They can come in here and pay $10 for the same book. And then they can come back and trade it in for credit on another book they want to read. So it’s a good time, and it’s a good time to find commercial space to lease.”
    Adam has been a custom home builder in the Longmont/Tri-Town area for more than 15 years. With the recession and the slowdown in the home-building business, the family was looking for a new way to make a living. This venture began with Jodi’s love for reading.
    “We want to have a focus on our Christian section, so we’re building it up,” Adam said. “Being a Christian family, it’s the values we want to push. So that’s why we put the section up front, and that’s why we want it to be our focus.”
    Adam, 38, said Déjà lu Books has sold more Christian books than any other category in the weeks since the grand opening.
    “We get a lot of positive feedback about it,” Adam said. “We’ve had our pastor come in an browse. And we have both non-fiction and fiction.”
    Déjà lu Books also offers new books on special order for a discounted price.
    “We go around and buy our own used books, and I have a supplier where I get a lot of my books from. And then we take books on trade from our customers depending on our need and inventory and what’s selling,” Adam said.
    Déjà lu Books literally means “already read” in French. The couple chose that name because they though it was fitting for a used book store. Jodi spent several years living and teaching in France and holds a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature.
    While Adam is excited that there is already strong interest in the book store, he did say there were some books that the couple definitely didn’t need.
    “Encyclopedias and other reference books – we’re not taking mass-market romance,” Adam said. “We have far too many of those.”
    The store is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Ben Wiebesiek at 303-659-2522, ext. 206 or email bwiebesiek@metrowestnewspapers.com.