In Memoriam: Sam Weller

by Joan Nay of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore

Sam Weller, legendary Salt Lake City bookseller, died Wednesday, June 24, 2009 in Salt Lake City of causes incident to age. He was 88. He was born April 23, 1921 in Schneidemuhl, Germany. Sam was the third child in the Weller family which, eventually included 12. His family converted to the Mormon faith and immigrated to Salt Lake City in 1925, where his father opened a second hand furniture store. After buying a collection of old Mormon books, Gus Weller (Sam's father) determined that books were easier to move than furniture. Thus, on August 11, 1929, Gus Weller's second hand furniture store on First South in Salt Lake City became Zion's Bookstore. 

Sam served in the U. S. Army during World War II in Europe and North Africa.  After the war he hoped to attend Utah State University and study music and musical theater. However, his father prevailed, and the struggling, debt ridden family bookstore was turned over to 24-year-old Sam. He was outgoing and hard-working which helped him to put the store on solid footing. His bookselling style was characterized by sustained high energy, dogged efforts and frequent tantrums, moderated by uncommon acts of generosity.

In 1950, a mutual friend introduced Sam to Lila Nelson. They were married in 1953, and as Sam was wont to say: "she has been reading for free ever since!" Lila was Sam's opposite in many ways. She was calm, quiet, and detail-oriented. She managed the store's finances, inventory and bookkeeping. 

In 1961 Sam and Lila moved the bookstore to its present location at 254 South Main Street, where it has grown to 37,000 square feet. Shortly thereafter, Lila suggested changing the name to Sam Weller's Zion Book Store to differentiate it from ZCMI's book department and capture the literary coincidence of Sam's Dickensian name. The Weller's son Tony was born in 1962. He grew up in the bookstore.

In 1972 a devastating fire nearly destroyed the store. The morning following the fire, Sam found a new location. Two days later the bookstore reopened on State Street with a huge fire sale. Within a year, the Main Street location was rebuilt, enlarged and open for business.
Sam and Lila were instrumental in helping found the Intermountain Booksellers Association. He also served on the Board of the American Booksellers Association. In the 1980s Sam became a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the most prestigious of associations of rare book dealers. His reputation was built primarily on his expertise in the fields of Western Americana, Mormonism, Indians, Geology and writers of the West.

Sam's eyesight failed in 1997 and Tony, who had worked in the bookstore for most of his life, took over ownership and operations. Today, Sam Weller's Books is headed by Tony and Catherine Weller, his wife.  The store will celebrate its 80th anniversary in August of 2009.

Sam is survived by his wife, Lila, son and daughter-in-law Tony and Catherine, a granddaughter Lila Ann, and a large extended family of siblings, nieces and nephews. He leaves countless friends, book lovers and bibliophiles around the world.

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