An indie prepares to re-open in Pittsburgh; a college store in New England announces plan to go corporate; and a Long Island bookstore gets a new café.
UConn Co-op Out, B&N or Follett In: After 40 years, the The UConn Co-op will close. It lost its bid to continue to operate the University of Connecticut’s 10 stores. Instead the university plans to go with one of the country’s two largest educational chains. A decision is expected on March 31 with the transition to a new operator in June.
One Pittsburgh Store Re-opens, Another Could Change Hands: City Books, which closed after 27 years on the South Side in 2014, will celebrate its grand reopening on the North side tomorrow. At the same time, the East End Book Exchange could have a new buyer. Founder Lesley Rains, who has had interest from would-be buyers, plans to keep the store open until it is sold.
New Café Opens in Huntington’s Book Revue: The Long Island, N.Y., bookstore has a newly renovated counter-serve café that replaces one that closed in September.
Sir Elton John Pays Tribute to Hollywood’s Book Soup: Book Soup posted the endorsement on a sidewalk chalkboard in front of the store: “If Book Soup ever left, I’d jump off a cliff.”
