Coming off of a strong year for indies, two long-time bookstores have put themselves up for sale, Main Street Books in Davidson, N.C., and Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, Pa. Politics & Prose just opened a store inside a Busboys & Poets restaurant in Washington, D.C., and Mustard Seed opened in Bath, Maine. Walls of Books opens Saturday in Zanesville, Ohio.
Openings & Closings
New Indie to Open Tomorrow in Ohio: Gottwalls Books is opening a new franchise Walls of Books in Zanesville on Saturday.
New Owner and Name for Saginaw Bookstore: After buying Maxey’s Discount Bookstore from Maxey Morgan late last year, long-time customer Cheryl Kennedy renovated the space and renamed it Cheryl’s New & Used.
Mustard Seed to Open in Bath Next Month: Named for the Biblical parable “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can do impossible things,” the newest bookstore to open in Maine will sell books and gift as well as tea and baked goods.
Politics & Prose Opens in Brookland: The latest Busboys & Poets to open in Washington, D.C., has a mini Politics & Prose store inside; a second Busboys and P&P pairing will open in Takoma later this month.
Waterstones to Add More Stores: With physical book sales up 5% for December, the UK’s leading high street bookseller is looking to add at least a dozen stores this year.
City Books in Pittsburgh Closes: Once one of the literary centers on Pittsburgh’s South Side, the 30-year-old store closed at the end of December.
Reading Corner in Rockland to Close: Owner Warren Bodine is beginning a half-price sale on Monday and will close the 39-year-old Maine bookstore at the end of January if a buyer doesn’t step forward.
Harborbooks in Princeton Closes: After six years, the California bookstore, which served as a gallery for Coastline artists, is shutting its doors.
Howard Street Books in Hibbing, Minn., Closes Storefront: Mary and Joe Keyes are retiring and putting the furnishings, fixtures, and remaining inventory for their store up for sale this month. They will continue to take special orders by phone.
Creekside Books and Coffee “Permanently Closed”: After changing hands six months ago, this bookstore and coffee bar in Skaneateles, N.Y., suddenly closed for good, according to its Facebook page.
Other News
Main Street Books in Davidson, N.C., for Sale: After 27 years, Barbara Freund, who founded the bookstore, and Betty Reinke are ready to retire and have put their “old-fashioned” independent on the market.
Mystery Lovers Bookshop for Sale, Again: After purchasing the suburban Pittsburgh bookstore two years ago from founders Mary Alice Gorman and Richard Goldman, Laurie Stephens wants to spend more time with her family.
Rake straw Relocates: With some help from friends, 41-year-old Rakestraw Books in Danville, Calif., moved to its new home next to Starbucks late last month. “We love how sunny and warm the new shop is,” the store posted on Facebook.
Well Read Moves Across the Street: Yesterday the Fulton, Calif., bookstore began the process of moving across the street to a slightly smaller storefront, where it will reopen on January 16.
Pomegranate Books Adds Cafe: The 10-year-old Wilmington, N.C., bookstore is getting a low-impact cafe, to be run by owner Kathleen Jewell’s daughter, Adrian, and son-in-law Manol Georgieff.
