Owner writes last chapter for Joe Pages Bookstore

CHEYENNE – After three years of helping revitalize Cheyenne’s downtown, Joe Pages Bookstore and Coffee House has closed its doors for good.

Owner Rod Miller said the cost of competing against a national chain has taken its toll, prompting him to relinquish his dream of operating an independent book store where friends could gather over a cup of coffee and discuss books and ideas of the time.

“The numbers weren’t there,” Miller said as he prepared to close the store at the end of April. “The numbers made it not a very difficult decision.”

His revenues were down 15 percent last year,…