SALT LAKE CITY — At the corner of 351 West and 400 South, one can find 1974 Bookstore SLC owner Annie Pagett.
She inherited her love of literature from her parents, and what initially started as a mobile bookstore expanded to an actual location across from Pioneer Park.
She opened the doors in October of 2025. However, just a couple months later, things started to take a turn. She had to leave her job and main source of income.
“I suffered health issues. I had pneumonia and Influenza A. It really knocked me out,” Pagett said. "I wanted to take some time off to take care of my health, and so I did... things just really kind of slowed down.”
Pagett has been doing everything she can to keep the store afloat, and said it's sad knowing something she put her heart and soul into may not make it.
“I'm trying not to get emotional, because it's exactly how I always wanted the store,” she said. "I took a chance to build it because I know what bookstores can do to a community. I know that they can enlighten. They can just change a community itself.”
Pagett said with how heavy the world is right now, she’s hoping to keep alive the one thing that keeps her going.
"For me, what this has done for me, for my mental health, even though I have the stresses of a business owner, my God, the people that I have met, the people that I've become friends with,” she said. “When I come to the store, I feel safe.”
In the meantime, Pagett is working with the city to apply for loans and is hoping to hold out until the Downtown Farmers Market starts back up in June.
Right now, her immediate need is for book inventory. She is accepting donations via Venmo: venmo.com/u/Bookstore1974_SLC
