If everything goes as planned, this will be the last holiday shopping season that Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore spends at the downtown Salt Lake City location that has been its home for the past 48 years.

Prompted by the bad economy and the changing nature of the bookstore business, Sam Weller's owners Tony and Catherine Weller announced in March they eventually intend to move the store from its longtime location at 254 S. Main St. to smaller, more efficient digs downtown at a location still to be determined.

"It will be a bittersweet holiday season for us," Catherine Weller said. "This time of year always brings a lot of excitement, but we're also a little sentimental about this location. The store has been here for a long time."

Weller said the search for a new location is continuing; she and her husband have seen a few buildings that they like.

Yet moving to a new location depends upon the Wellers selling their 50 percent ownership interest in the David Keith Building, which now houses the bookstore.

In Sam Weller's Bookstore's latest bimonthly newsletter, Booktalk , Tony Weller wrote that the other owner of the David Keith building agreed to re-list the property in its entirety, rather than the Wellers just putting up their 50 percent interest for sale.

He said the owners are close to an agreement.

Real estate broker Ed Sperry of Keller Williams, who is handling the sale of the David Keith Building, said there is a significant amount of retail space for lease downtown and several other buildings that are for sale.

"There also has been quite a few new business opening downtown. And I'm sure they are being drawn to the area by the LDS Church's development," Sperry said, referring to the City Creek mall near South Temple and Main streets.

Catherine Weller said what has surprised her about the downtown real estate market is the large amount of space available for lease and the small amount of property that is up for sale.

"And that has been a challenge since we are committed to buying another building."

She added the bookstore she and her husband envision opening will offer a well-selected mix of new, used and rare books instead of carrying every title imaginable on a wide variety of subjects, which has been their business strategy in the past.

steve@sltrib.com