Rainy Day Books

Rainy Day Books is a 50-year-old independent bookstore in Fairway, Kansas, founded in 1975 by Vivien Jennings and nationally regarded as the “gold standard” for author events — now owned by the locally-rooted Made in KC group and a group of loyal customers (“Friends of Rainy Day Books”) who bought it in 2022 to keep the institution KC-owned. From its anchor storefront in The Fairway Shops, the store has hosted authors from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Stephen King, drawing more than 2,000 people to a single 1996 Anne Rice event.¹²³⁴⁵

Description

Rainy Day Books is an independent bookstore in Fairway, Kansas, widely cited as one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States.¹ It operates from 2706 W 53rd Street as the east anchor tenant of The Fairway Shops, near the intersection of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Belinder Road.⁶ Store hours are Monday–Saturday 10:00am–7:00pm and Sunday 10:00am–5:00pm; phone (913) 384-3126.⁷

The store’s defining identity is its author-events program. Publishers Weekly has said that “Rainy Day Books sets the gold standard” for author events, and founder Vivien Jennings is credited with helping set the industry standard for the in-conversation book talk, being among the first booksellers to sit down on stage in dialogue with visiting authors.¹ Over its history the store has hosted national literary figures including Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, and Stephen King, and drew a crowd of more than 2,000 people for an Anne Rice event in 1996.⁴

Rainy Day Books began as a used-paperback exchange — readers could trade in used books for credit and pay a small fee to swap for others — before growing into the full new-book retailer and event institution it is today.¹

Ownership and history

Rainy Day Books was founded by Vivien Jennings on November 4, 1975.¹² Per local press, Jennings opened the store in 1975 at 5244 Norwood St. and relocated it to its current location at 2706 W 53rd Street in Fairway by 1978.⁴ For decades Jennings owned and operated the store, joined by chief operations officer Roger Doeren, and built its national reputation for author programming.¹⁴

In October 2022, Jennings and Doeren sold the bookstore to Made in Kansas City (Made in KC) and a group of 16 loyal customers organized as “Friends of Rainy Day Books.” Made in KC is a Kansas City-based retail company owned by Tyler Enders, Keith Bradley, and Thomas McIntyre; the company operates a chain of KC-area locations and also owns Outta the Blue in Leawood.³⁵ The sale was structured explicitly to keep the store locally owned and to “pass the baton” to buyers who love books, with Jennings and Doeren remaining involved through the transition and beyond in an advisory capacity.⁵⁸ As of the store’s 50th-anniversary coverage in late 2025, Rainy Day Books continues to operate under this ownership, with Annie Krieg cited as current manager.⁴

Because Made in KC is itself a KC-local, KC-founded company, the 2022 sale did not move ownership out of town — Rainy Day Books remains a locally-owned Kansas City institution.³⁵

Links

• Official site: https://rainydaybooks.com/
• Directions / location: https://rainydaybooks.com/Directions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RainyDayBooks/

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainy_Day_Books — asserts: Rainy Day Books is an independent bookstore in Fairway, KS, founded November 4, 1975 by Vivien Jennings; one of the leading independent bookstores in the US; Publishers Weekly says it “sets the gold standard” for author events; began as a used-paperback exchange; Jennings helped set the industry standard for in-conversation book talks. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/12/01/rainy-day-books-50-years-274939/ — asserts: store marks 50 years; founded 1975 by Vivien Jennings; remains open and operating in 2025 under Made in KC ownership with manager Annie Krieg; relocated from 5244 Norwood St. (1975) to 2706 W 53rd St. by 1978; hosted Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Stephen King; 2,000+ people for Anne Rice’s 1996 event. ↩ ↩²

3. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/10/28/rainy-day-books-sale-185441/ — asserts: Jennings and COO Roger Doeren sold the store to Made in KC and “Friends of Rainy Day Books” (16 loyal customers); Made in KC owned by Tyler Enders, Keith Bradley, Thomas McIntyre; KC-area retail company that also owns Outta the Blue in Leawood; founded 1975 (turning 47 in Nov 2022). ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/11/17/fairway-kansas-rainy-day-books-50-years-anniversary — asserts: Rainy Day Books’ 50 years built on events and relationships; Fairway, KS; nationally known author-events program.².] ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-10-27/kansas-citys-rainy-day-books-has-new-owners-who-plan-to-take-it-forward-into-this-next-chapter — asserts: Rainy Day Books has new local owners (Made in KC + Friends of Rainy Day Books) who plan to take it “forward into this next chapter.”.] ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. https://www.yelp.com/biz/rainy-day-books-fairway — asserts: Rainy Day Books located at 2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway, KS 66205; east anchor tenant of The Fairway Shops near Shawnee Mission Pkwy & Belinder Rd; bookstore; operating listing. ↩

7. https://rainydaybooks.com/Directions — asserts: store address “2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway, KS 66205”; phone “(913) 384-3126”; hours Mon–Sat 10:00am–7:00pm, Sun 10:00am–5:00pm. ↩

8. https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-05-12/rainy-day-books-owners-hope-to-pass-the-baton-to-someone-who-loves-books-as-much-as-they-do — asserts: owners Jennings/Doeren hoped to “pass the baton” to someone who loves books; transition/advisory involvement..] ↩