Foggy Pine Books, located at 471 W. King Street, will be closing permanently on April 15 after seven years of business.

Max Ruthless, owner of the independent bookstore and an App State alum, announced the closing in an email newsletter and Instagram post Monday.

“Over the last 7 years, I have been incredibly lucky to receive the love, kindness, and support of this wonderful community I call home,” they said in the post. “I couldn’t have found better folks to share space with and I’m truly grateful for the time we’ve had together.”

Ruthless said the decision to close the store was impacted by “personal health and financial wellbeing.”

The store, which acquired Black Bear Books’ stock in 2016, moved to its current address in 2018.

The store offered many programs and services, such as Free Books for Boone, online ordering, a drive-thru to pick up books, a book subscription service, a loyalty program and two book clubs. In February 2021, the store was featured on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Foggy Pine will be open Tuesday through Saturday from noon-6 p.m. until its closing date of April 15. All new books in stock will be discounted at 30% off and used books will be discounted at 50% off.

Several people responded to the post on Instagram. User swell_foop said, “Sending you so many good thoughts as you take this major step toward better health and financial well-being!”

One community member commented on Foggy Pine’s contribution to King Street.

“Thank you for all of your time doing business in the high country. There’s not a place more iconic on king street than y’all,” user @sauerkraut posted. 

Others commented about the environment created by Foggy Pine.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for this community. This place, and Max, have created a safe space for so many over the years,” user @ethan.diaz said.

Some local businesses also responded to the post. 828 Real Estate posted with the Instagram handle @828_real_estate and said, “Thank you for sharing your love of books with our community. Wish you all the best in your new ventures and your health.”