Irving, Tex., gets its first bookstore in two years with the opening of a Half Price Books, while Brooklyn, N.Y., gets a new store, as does Spearfish, S.D. Several stores relocated recently, including Afterwords in Edwardsville, Ill., and SubText in St. Paul.
Openings & Closings
Half Price Opens in Irving, Tex.: Two years after Irving lost its last bookstore, Half Price will re-open in the city—in the same shopping center that once housed Barnes & Noble.
Pioneer Works Opens Tiny Store in Brooklyn, N.Y.: The small new and used bookstore in Red Hook carries the small presses’ books along with works by others for adults and kids in a small space a block from its offices.
Grand Re-opening for Afterwords on Route 66: During the annual Route 66 Festival this Edwardsville, Ill., bookstore will celebrate its new location. On Sunday, it will hold an author festival as part of the activities.
Artemis Bookstore to Open in Port Alberni, B.C.: A replica of the Statue of Liberty holding the book of the week stands in the doorway of this new bookstore, which is partnering with SteamPunk Café.
Thrift Store for Spearfish, S.D.: Earlier this month the Salvation Army-Northern Hills Thrift Store turned an 800 sq. ft. area in the back into a bookstore building to the rear of the thrift store into a bookstore.
New Name, New Owner for Grass Valley, Calif., Bookstore: On Monday Nory Fussell took over the community’s used bookstore, which he renamed Open Book. Fussell plan to create an active events schedule and will add a permanent stage to the space.
B&N Closing in Walnut Creek, Calif.: After 21 years the store lost its lease and will close in January; Barnes & Noble is actively looking for a new location in the area.
Other News
[words] Bookstore Awarded as Ally for Disabled: Bookstore owners Jonah and Ellen Zimiles were one of ten businesses across the U.S. to receive the first Ruderman Best in Business Award for job training and support for people with disabilities, especially autism.
Ivan Doig Tribute at Parkplace Books in Kirkland, Wash.: In addition to a special evening on August 18, the bookstore is raising money to purchase a memorial bench and tree to be placed in a public area near the home that he shared with his wife, Carol.
Final Hours for Crowdfunding Campaign for Missouri’s Book House: Two years ago Michelle Baron turned to crowdfunding when she was forced to move the Book House and renovate a new space in Maplewood. Over the past month, she has been working on raising an additional $10,000 to pay off back expenses through an Indiegogo campaign that ends tonight.
Visual e-Fairness Map: Only ten states have yet to pass e-parity laws, including Louisiana which has legislation awaiting the governor’s signature.
Mississippi to Launch Book Festival in August: To combat low literacy rates, the state will hold a free event on the state capitol grounds in Jackson with 75 authors, including Natchez native Greg Iles, on August 22. In conjunction with the festival, John Grisham’s Sycamore Row has been selected for this summer’s Mississippi Reads.
St. Paul Booksellers Start New Lives in New Locations: After sharing space for three years, SubText bookstore, owned by Sue Zumberge, and Addendum Books for Children and Young Adults, owned by Marcus Mayer and Katherine Warde, are opening in new locations.
Politics & Prose Official Bookseller at National Book Festival: For the second year in a row, an indie has been selected to sell books at the Library of Congress National Festival of Books, which will take place on September 5 at the Washington Convention Center.
