Caveat Emptor

Overview

• Caveat Emptor was founded on 4th Street but moved downtown.

• After being in business for over 50 years Caveat Emptor almost closed but was bought and saved.

• Caveat Emptor funds a local kids baseball team.

• The current owners of Caveat Emptor also own the Comedy Attic.

History

The vintage bookstore standing in front of you was once a building packed to the brim with new age fashion trends, more specifically a Kahn’s, a store that stood on this very spot for nearly one hundred years. 

On the other hand Caveat Emptor has not been here its entire life, and neither has its founder Janis Starcs, who immigrated from Latvia, and went to the same school as the majority of college students in Bloomington: IU. In the summer of 1971 Janis and his studious friends observed that the total quantity of high quality used bookstores in Bloomington was a whopping ZERO! So Janis took matters into his own hands, and he founded the lovely bookstore in front of you. 

The first location that he opened up was originally on 4th street, the place that is now locally known for its semi famous 4th Street Festival. Once they had made enough money to move locations, they sold the building to the White Rabbit, a novelty shop. They decided to move into a house on Dunn Street, a house that is very close to the downtown library. However, due to a spike in the rent they relocated to their current building downtown. 

In recent years the store has had multiple owners, such as Eric and Catherine Brown, who bought Caveat Emptor in 2016, when Janis retired. Sadly in 2023 Caveat Emptor had lost a lot of money and was about to close, when suddenly a hero stepped in and bought the company, restoring it to its full glory, and this hero’s name was Dayna Thompson. Dayna and her husband also own the local business the Comedy Attic, making her the owner of several companies that add to Bloomington's vibrant community. 

Connection to the Community

Being a local business, Caveat Emptor has many connections to the vibrant community that resides in Bloomington Indiana. It is a used and rare book store, selling many author signed and limited edition books, such as a signed first edition of for whom the bell tolls, A collection of poems by Petrarch from 1515, and a First edition of Eleanor Roosevelt’s memoir This Is My Story, as well as hard to find foreign and educational texts. 

They help out with many events such as Pridefest, the Book Fair, and even sponsor local kids sports teams. One of Caveat Emptor’s goals is to create a safe and welcoming environment for all who live in Bloomington. The name Caveat Emptor is latin for “buyer beware” meaning that before they buy they should know what they are spending their money on. Caveat Emptor creates a generous and grateful atmosphere, even letting a local kids band practice in their store, and for all their contributions to the lively community in Bloomington they are greatly thanked by all.