YPSILANTI, MI – Sheridan Settler’s shop was jam-packed with books – stacked to the ceiling and in piles to climb over – his customers say. But the Ypsilanti bookshop owner had no problem finding exactly what they were seeking.
“He knew where everything was in that place,” said Nate Hockman, an Ypsilanti resident and longtime patron. “… Whether it was something I was looking for, like a specific book, he either had it or he would somehow find a way to get it for me.”
Settler, owner of Ypsilanti’s Cross Street Book Shop, was found dead Wednesday, June 12 in the store. The cause of his death has not yet been released and an investigation was ongoing.
Community members have since left letters, candles and flowers at a small memorial in front of the shop at 523 W. Cross St., in business since the 1990s, according to public records.
Hockman, 38, came across the used book shop when he moved to Ypsilanti more than a decade ago. After meeting Settler, he often went there to buy books, especially about space, he said.
“I remember a handful of times when I would find just some off-the-wall books, maybe I didn’t even go in there looking for it,” Hockman said. “He’d kind of flip through and mention, ‘Oh you’re really gonna really like this part,’ and it got me thinking – does he read every single book that comes into this store?”
Diane Frost, a 25 year-resident of Ypsilanti, said Settler could always find “the perfect book,” no matter how many stacks of books she had to step over.
“He was amazing in that,” Frost wrote in a message to MLive/The Ann Arbor News, also describing the owner as polite and kind. “Just told him what I was interested in learning, and that was all he needed.”
A few doors down, the manager of Cross Street Shop, George Couch described Settler as “talkative” and appreciated how he frequently recycled and reused everything.
“He’d keep an eye on the neighborhood and tell you if something weird was going on,” the local dispensary manager said. “He was always around… He just kept an eye on everything. That’s why I liked him. And he would just tell you the latest news.”
To Hockman, Settler was “Ypsilanti royalty.” He hadn’t been to the shop since the pandemic, but often saw Settler biking and walking around town, always taking the chance to wave or chat.
“I would see him so often and any moment I would find myself in his presence, I felt blessed that I had a portion of his time,” Hockman said. “There was just something about him. It’s kind of hard to put into words. Obviously I’m gonna miss his bookstore… I’ll definitely miss his conversations but he just kind of had this glow to him.”
More than anything, he said, he will miss the waves and the hellos.
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