A North Dakota Bookstore Has Closed Its Doors & Rebrands

Did you know that North Dakota has the fewest bookstores in America?

That is according to a post on Ferguson Books & More's Facebook page that I read recently. Even the state of Wyoming, one of the few states with a smaller population than North Dakota, has more bookstores than the Peace Garden State.

The least populated states in America: (According to USA Today)

#5 South Dakota

#4 North Dakota

#3 Alaska

#2 Vermont

#1 Wyoming

What does that say about North Dakotans, considering we have the fewest bookstores in the country?

I know we lost our Ferguson Books & More location here in Bismarck on April 27, 2024, according to our news partners at KX News. Owner Dane Ferguson said the reason for the closure was that he and his wife and their four children were living in Fargo, and it was getting to be too much to take care of the business from the other side of North Dakota. They were forced to make the difficult decision to move on from Bismarck.

Now, Dane Ferguson has closed his Ferguson Books & More location in Fargo.

According to their Facebook post, the Ferguson Books & More location at 214 Roberts Alley in Fargo has shut down. In a heartfelt post, Ferguson left several reasons why they are closing down Ferguson Books & More and rebranding to a new, smaller location, but the move was part of a strategy to create a more "vibrant, connected downtown experience".

The new bookstore will be called Fergie's Bookshops.

Fergie's Bookshops will be in a new, smaller space inside Daily's Market in downtown Fargo. Fergie's Bookshops is expected to have a soft opening later this week.