Over the weekend two stores moved closer to big changes. Eight-year-old Atlanta-based Bound to Be Read put itself up for sale, and St. Mark’s Bookshop in the East Village in New York City posted a notice on its Facebook page that it needs volunteers for its advisory committee as it enters its next phase.

In a letter to friends of Bound to Be Read, founder Jeff McCord wrote that it was time for the new and used bookstore to change hands. “Of course, everyone knows that this is a challenging time for bookstores [sic] everywhere. That doesn’t mean that things are hopeless, or that bookstores are all doomed. I don't believe that. . . . . Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, I have come to realize that if Bound To Be Read Books is going to continue for the next 8 years, it will have to be under the management of a new owner.” According to Atlanta INtown, one problem for McCord is that he didn’t quit his day job in the communications department of the State of Georgia when he opened the store. After nearly a decade of 80 hour weeks, he is finding it difficult to keep up with both jobs and his family. McCord plans to keep the store open as long as possible until he finds a buyer. Potential buyers can email him.

St. Mark’s, which has been looking for a new location for months, indicated in a letter to “loyal supporters” that it will make an announcement soon about a new space in which they would continue to stock literature, poetry politics, critical theory, and small press publications and present nonprofit programming. To help, they are looking for people with expertise in marketing, specifically social media, public relations, and communication campaign strategy, to volunteer from two to eight hours a month from now to the end of the year. They are also looking for educators/academics, readers, and writers to get the word out about St. Mark’s, and for community networkers. For more information, email the store.