Say it ain't so. Owners of Politics and Prose, the Washington, D.C., indie bookstore that seems to have hosted every author since Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is up for sale. Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade, who are both 74, are simply too tired to keep running the store, the Washington Post reports.

I'm sure the co-owners deserve a break. Just keeping up with the frantic pace of author appearances -- about one a day -- would wear me out. Readings at the Connecticut Avenue store have included those by promising first-timers such as Ariel Sabar (which I attended) to giants such as JK Rowling, Alice Walker and Rick Riordan. Meanwhile, competition is increasing from e-tailers such as Amazon, major bookstore chains and big box stores.

Here's what the co-owners had to say on their site: "We want to reaffirm that Politics & Prose is still thriving, ending the fiscal year with record sales; but we are looking to a successor from a younger generation to take our flourishing business in some new directions while assuring that Politics & Prose maintains its core commitments to excellence in literature and community involvement." I hope they can find someone to continue their legacy.