Farewell - For Now (Monarch Books)

The quaint little town of Pendleton, IN, is known for its industrialism and famous Falls Park. But, what you might not know is that there is a ton of heart in the center of downtown.

Pendleton is the home of many local businesses such as Falls Perk, The Stable, The Mercantile in Pendleton - just to name a few. In October of 2025, Pendleton opened its doors to its very first independent bookstore, Monarch Books.

The store has been operating behind an art gallery since it opened. The new year has been filled with many upgrades and changes to the store--the biggest upgrade being a store expansion, taking place in August of 2026. The store will be closed during that month so construction on the bigger space can begin.

In June 2026, Jazzy Myers, who assumed ownership of the store, brought so much creativity to the space and opened the door for many indie authors to showcase their books. A few of those authors include, Kari Robins, E.D. Rich, Claire Mackenzie, J.M. Williger, Emma Humfleet, and Karen D. Perry. She is delighted to be able to build community through reading after being a stay-at-home mom for most of her adult life.

On July 31, 2026, from 5-7 p.m., the store had a soft-close benefit event to raise money for the renovations scheduled to begin on August 1. This is the first of many special events to be held in the Monarch Books space. As a preview of what to expect in the future, Jazzy's most recent event featured a bookish bouquet raffle basket, with offerings from a nice sampling of local Pendleton businesses; creating your very own blind date with a book; and making bookmarks with pressed flowers.

Jazzy is also looking forward to hosting book signings and readings with local, independent authors. For her soft-close benefit, several authors (like E. D. Rich, Claire Mackenzie, Kari Robins, and J. M. Williger) turned out to sign books for store patrons.

Keep your eyes open for upcoming news and happenings in Pendleton, IN!