First romance-only bookstore opens; BAM continues to grow its used bookstores; and Amazon adds to its campus pickup locations.
Openings
The Ripped Bodice Opens in LA: After raising more than $91,000 on Kickstarter, sisters Bea and Leah Koch held the grand opening for their romance-only bookstore over the weekend. The store is divided into subgenres, including YA and New Adult.
Amazon Picks Up New Location in Akron: Amazon Campus continues to expand with its second staffed pickup location in Ohio. This summer it will open Amazon@Akron, a 1,980 sq. ft. location near the University of Akron campus. It also has one near the campus of the University of Cincinnati.
2nd & Charles Debuts in Buford: Books-A-Million’s used bookstore line added its 5th store in Georgia, 27th overall. A grand opening will be held on March 12 with costumed characters and a Nintendo tournament.
Robert Harper Books Opens in Riverdale Park, Md.:The used bookstore opened last week across from the Riverdale Marc station. Owner Robert Harper, a self-described “retired computer guy,” began a GoFundMe campaign a few weeks ago to add a coffeeshop.
Other News
Happy Anniversary to Glen Moody: Moody, who owns I Love Books in Kingsport, Tenn., and recently turned 65, is celebrating another important date, his 50th year in bookselling.
Obituary: Judy Sarick (1939-2016): Long-time Canadian children’s bookseller, Judy Sarick, who was known as a force in children’s literature, died during surgery for a brain aneurysm. She was 76. In 1974, Sarick and her husband founded The Children’s Bookstore in Toronto. They closed the store and sold the educational unit to Pegasus in 2000.
Closings
Toronto’s Open Air Books and Maps Closes: The 40-year-old travel bookstore will close at the end of March, because the owner of the building wants the space back. “It doesn’t lose money but, on the other hand, it doesn’t generate a viable income,” founder and owner Jeff Axler told The Globe and Mail, who has no plans to reopen elsewhere.
