Earlier this week, Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books in San Francisco, and author Samantha Schoech, project director of bookstore day, gave an update on this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, set for May 2.
IBD 2015, California’s second and the first to go national, will feature 16 exclusive books and art pieces, including a signed, original Chris Ware print; a signed chapbook of original essays by Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay; a Margaret Atwood stencil, a literary map of the seas; and an original signed, Captain Underpants print. “We’re excited to offer exclusive merchandise on Independent Bookstore Day. Not virtual, but physical, real, bona fide book swag,” commented Rebecca Fitting of Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY.
Events
Tucson Festival of Books: This weekend the University of Arizona is hosting its seventh book festival to support literacy. To date it has donated over $1 million.
Openings & Closings
Tattered Cover to Open in Littleton: The Denver bookstore is closing its store in Highlands Ranch Town Center next month and reopening in a smaller space in Aspen Grove shopping center in Littleton.
Second Amazon Location to Open at Purdue: This summer the Indiana university will get its second staffed Amazon pick-up and drop-off location.
Robots & Rogues to Close: The four-year-old science fiction and fantasy bookstore in downtown Lafayette will close by the end of March.
Last Chapter for Aaron James Booksellers: Owner Jim Ball is ready to retire and hopes to close the Plattsmouth, Neb., store by the beginning of May.
Other News
Binc Adds Childcare/Eldercare Emergency Assistance: The Book Industry Charitable Foundation will now allow booksellers to apply for grants when childcare or eldercare emergencies cause them to miss scheduled work.
New Owners for Partners Village: Following the sale of Eight Cousins in Falmouth, Mass., in January, Partners is the latest New England store to change hands. Lydia Sweetser Gollner purchased the 36-year-old Westport, Mass., bookstore and cafe.
Main Street Books Under New Management: The Davidson, N.C., store has new owners: Adah Fitzgerald and Mary Barone.
New LA Store Offers Kids Books in Spanish: La Libería sells children’s literature in Spanish. Soon founders Celene Navarrete and Chiara Arroyo would like to allow kids to borrow books, like in a library.
Flushing, N.Y., Bookstore to Turn 20 Next Year: Chung Hwa Bookstore draws nearly 300 Chinese and Taiwanese customers every day.
Indiegogo Campaign for Little City Books in Hoboken: Earlier this week the bookshop launched a $22,000 crowdfunding campaign for fixtures and inventory in advance of its May 2 opening. It’s already reached close to 20% of its goal
Thrifty Joe’s Could Close Without Crowdfunding Assist: The Glendale, Ariz., book and music store is planning a $20,000 crowdfunding campaign to pay for relocation expenses following last year’s storms.
AIANY Award for St. Mark’s Bookshop: Clouds Architecture Office received a 2015 Honor Award for its pro-bono interior design of the East Village bookstore.
Obituary: Litchfield Books Owner: Tom Warner died on Sunday in Charleston, S.C.; he was 74. “Tom Warner was a class act, no two ways about it. A true gentleman. Sally and I will miss him both as a colleague and a friend,” wrote Sally Brewster and Fraser Dobson, owners of Park Road Books in Charlotte.
