Old Town Books on Instagram @oldtownbooks
Updated 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, 2023:
Old Town Books will be reopening Thursday, the owner announced.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post late Saturday night, Old Town Books owner Ally Kirkpatrick said she had to temporarily close the local bookstore due to a medical condition causing her to lose her eyesight.
Her staff will be reopening the store Thursday.
In the post, Kirkpatrick wrote that she had medical complications, including pre-eclampsia, while pregnant with her daughter, who is now 6 months old. It's not clear if her pregnancy conditions had any part in her vision loss, and Kirkpatrick noted that it could have been caused by a traumatic brain injury that caused vision loss over the past several weeks.
“I’m going to close the bookstore indefinitely effective immediately so I can focus on my health and my three little girls,” Kirkpatrick wrote.
“But I’ll be back better and blinder than ever in a little while. And everyone who works here and has decided to keep working here has their job and will be paid during this mini sabbatical. I’m working with a new store manager and two consultants who are helping me figure out how to adapt to being a blind small business owner.”
Old Town Books opened in November 2018 as a pop-up shop before moving to a permanent home at 130 S. Royal St. in Old Town.
Founder Ally Kirkpatrick grew up in the Fort Hunt area and is a graduate of West Potomac High School. The bookstore has a cult-like following of book lovers in Alexandria.
