“We didn’t want someone who would change the heart of this place,” Skorman said. “Joe and Sarah understand that Poor Richard’s is more than a business, it’s a community living room. They both plan on working full-time in the businesses and they each bring complimentary skills to this transition.”
Skorman started a bookstore that would become Poor Richard’s Feed & Read in 1975 while he was a senior at Colorado College. At that time, he worked at a nearby now-defunct bookstore that paid him in books. He used those books, supplemented by dumpster diving at the end of the semester at the college, as the beginning inventory for his bookstore that later sold pizza, sandwiches, salad and beverages.
That business later grew to include Poor Richard’s Restaurant, Poor Richard’s Books & Gifts, Rico’s Café & Wine Bar and Little Richard’s Toy Store, all in the 300 block of North Tejon Street. The complex of businesses has become a downtown gathering place where “families gather, artists meet, activists organize and kids grow up wander the aisles” of the toy store, the release said.
Joe Cole spent nearly 25 years as anchor and news director for KXRM-TV Fox 21 and also worked at CBS affiliate KKTV and ABC affiliate KRDO-TV. He helped foster the Indy Give! Campaign and created Fox21’s Living Local Lifestyle show that focused on small businesses and community organizations. He stated in the release that while he worked for a Fox affiliate, he did not share the network’s political views.
Gibeau-Cole is a senior territory manager for a medical equipment manufacturer and is nearing completion of a master’s degree in public health. The Colorado Springs native grew up wandering the aisles of Poor Richard’s and has been a longtime customer of the restaurant, bookstore and toy store, according to the release.
The couple were “deeply moved” by the hundreds of meals Skorman and Seator provided to federal workers and their families during last fall’s federal government shutdown, the type of community-first philosophy they hope to continue, the release said. The Coles said they plan to keep all staff members and want to “carry on the legacy [of Skorman and Seator], not change it.”
Skorman plans to focus on his local environmental work, including his nonprofit Richard’s Rubbish Roundup, while Seator, a Level 3 Qigong instructor, plans to expand the classes she offers. Skorman may continue to bus tables and chat with customers at the restaurant.
The deal was made possible, in part, by John Weiss, former publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, owner of the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade and founder of the Catalyst Fund, which helps founders of local businesses pass their businesses along to the next generation of entrepreneurs, the release said. Weiss has been a longtime customer of Poor Richard’s and a classmate of Skorman’s at Colorado College.
A celebration is planned May 3 to honor Skorman and Seator and welcome the Coles as new owners; details will be available in Poor Richard’s newsletter and on social media.