The next chapter in the story that is Cameron’s Books & Magazines – the oldest bookstore in Portland – will be written now that the store has a new owner.

Cameron’s was set to close late last year after Jeff Frase, the store’s third owner, lost his lease when the building was sold. The store, started in 1938 in another downtown location, has been at 336 S.W. Third Ave. for more than 60 years.

As the final days approached, Crystal Zingsheim decided to come up with she called a “Hail Mary” to save the store that was such a significant part of her life. She’d worked part-time with Frase for nearly 20 years and had helped her father with his rare book business in San Jose.

Zingsheim believed people would want rally to save the iconic store. She launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal to raise $30,000 that she could use, along with her money and loans, to buy out Frase. Nearly 400 backers raised more than $32,000, and she and Frase signed papers on Christmas Eve.

“It will count as the biggest mistake of my life, or the third,” said Zingsheim with a laugh, explaining she has what she describes as a “foolish heart.”

Frase will be the store’s used book scout, and plans to work in the store when Zingsheim needs help.

She’s negotiated a short-term lease with the building owner while looking for a new store location. Once again, she’s turning to people she met during her campaign to save the store.

“I’ve been getting advice from people from lawyers, businesspeople and developers,” she said. “It’s been amazing.”

Zingsheim, 35, created Cameron’s internet business focusing on rare books and magazines, attracting customers from across the United States. She plans to focus on the digital side of the business even more in the future.

She has long-range plans to digitize the store’s periodicals, which span from the mid 19th century to the present. Outside of the Library of Congress, Cameron’s archive – numbering more than 20,000 magazines – is considered one of the largest private collections in the nation, she said.

“Jeff and I learned that more than 30% of our collection is the last remaining copy out there,” Zingsheim said. “I want to make a searchable database for images and content.”

She said designers, ad agencies and researchers are drawn to what’s contained in the magazines.

“The information in that collection encompasses the last couple hundred years of American history,” she said. “It represents who and what makes up our country.”

--Tom Hallman Jr; thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224; @thallmanjr

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