The Saga of Charlie, the Tattered Cover Mannequin

Waves of upheaval have hit Tattered Cover over the past few years — including the bombshell sale of the historically independent, Denver-based bookstore chain to corporate behemoth Barnes & Noble in 2024. But one comforting thing about Tattered has anchored the place: Charlie the Mannequin.

Okay, so maybe "comforting" is too strong a word.

"Charlie is a fun conversation starter at the Tattered Cover when folks try to introduce him to first-time visitors as a prank," says Derek Holland, managing director of the chain and a bookseller at its stores since the 1980s. "He has spooked so many people over the years."

No kidding. Charlie is a lifelike, life-size statue purchased in 1990 by legendary Tattered owner Joyce Meskis, who died in 2022. Aside from a glow-up in the early 2000s courtesy of local artist Quang Ho, who gave Charlie a fresh paint job, Charlie has continually sat in his chair, reading a newspaper and freaking people out. Customers have reported talking to Charlie for minutes on end before realizing he wasn't human; they've even poked a real person in the store, thinking it was Charlie.

If there's a prime example of the uncanny valley in Denver, Charlie is it. His unsettlingly naturalistic appearance was based on a regular, flesh-and-blood customer named Charlie Shugarts, embraced by Tattered as a member of the family up until his death in 2007. The real Charlie was a voracious consumer of the printed word as well as an outspoken opponent of book banning. He was also a bit of a scamp, as evidenced by the fact that he loved to pose next to his own statue in the store, just to mess with patrons' minds.
Charlie the Mannequin took up temporary residence at almost every shop in the Tattered chain, including now defunct locations in Westminster and Colorado Springs, but was best known as the mascot of Tattered's flagship store at 2526 East Colfax Avenue. "It was a little rough for him with the high-school crowd" that streamed over from across the street at East High, Holland admits. Imagine the selfies.

Then in late 2024, Charlie vanished — but only briefly, and not because of some corporate cleanup by B&N. Charlie was carefully packed away in a Tattered storeroom during the holiday season to free up floorspace for extra merchandise. But now, Holland says, "Charlie has found a peaceful home by the fireplace at the Aspen Grove store."

The fireplace? Good thing he's made of fiberglass.

Yes, Charlie the Mannequin has seen it all at Tattered since 1990: revolutions in ownership, the advent of ebooks, the death of the beloved customer who inspired him, you name it. But he continues to embody the spirit of Tattered Cover, even through its most challenging times.

"He's a dedicated reader who is always reading," Holland says, "and he has always represented the fun of discovery and community."