The Store

The Eclectic Reader

Founded in 1999 by Cynthia Manuel, the Eclectic Reader is a store for rare, out of print, used, and every now and again new books. This small but mighty store holds over 20,000 titles, with a strong focus on local history, local flora and fauna and horticulture, fiction, children’s books, cookbooks, and intellectual essays and modern thought, amongst many other categories. The store is currently undergoing modest renovations in order to resume hosting events with the broader northern Colorado reading and writing community.

The Eclectic Reader gets its name from the original quarterly publication of unusual topics and essays.

Cynthia

Cynthia M, Founder

Cynthia M has been a fixture in the Colorado book scene for decades. The Eclectic Reader is not her first book store, but it is the one that’s still around. Cynthia loves books and plants, and has been a staunch advocate of animal rescues and care. Cynthia sold the Eclectic Reader in July, 2026.

Also pictured: Monty the store cat. We don’t currently have a store cat.

Renee

Renee F, Owner

Renee is a rogue librarian without a library who worked a string of jobs in law and tech before she worked at a bookstore in Truckee, California for a year. She loved it more than any other job she’d ever had. When Cynthia put The Eclectic Reader up for sale, Renee jumped at the opportunity. She’s been in awe of the sheer depth of Cynthia’s curation and expansive knowledge, as well as her dedication to books and book lovers. Renee hopes to do right by the history of The Eclectic Reader and bring it ahead for years to come.

Renee does not like having her picture taken.