Editor’s Note: This is an installment in the series “The Art of Business,” which highlights the works of art found in the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building and will be featured regularly on the Eccles Extra blog.
The King’s English Bookshop opened its doors in 1977 and has matched readers with books ever since. The shop, located at 1511 S. 1500 East, is in one of Salt Lake City’s hippest neighborhoods with many retail and restaurant establishments.
The shop has eight rooms lined with books floor to ceiling, ranging from non-fiction to adult fiction, often focusing on local authors and topics about the West. It boasts Utah’s largest collection of children’s books. Chairs are scattered throughout cozy nooks, where book lovers are invited to curl up with a new favorite. The staff members pride themselves on being incredibly knowledgeable about their craft, and they’re always happy to offer up recommendations in nearly every genre.
Owner and co-founder Betsy Burton has been an outspoken advocate for locally owned businesses in Utah, and she co-founded Local First Utah.
About the Artist
Gibbs M. Smith is an alum of the University of Utah, earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history. He is the founder and president of Gibbs Smith Publishing, and the art he has loaned to the Eccles School demonstrates his passion for books and bookmaking. He has spent the past 35 years painting the bookstores he has visited around the country. Some have since closed, but many still thrive today. Hopefully, these paintings conjure up fond memories of your favorite bookstore.