A D.C. store is preparing to open; an Indiana bookstore is getting new owners; a California bookstore is receiving a small business award; and a Pittsburgh bookseller has died.
Merritt Bookstore Reopens: The Millbrook, N.Y., bookstore, which changed hands last year after the death of founder Scott Meyer, reopened in its former space on April 16. Owner Kira Wizner raised the ceilings, removed an office section, and added 400 sq. ft.
Grand Opening For East City Bookshop on April 30: The new bookstore on D.C.’s Capitol Hill will open on Independent Bookstore Day with author signings, a scavenger hunt, and music by local artists. It will be followed on May 1 by a Literary Hill Bookfest celebrating local authors.
Once Upon a Time Wins Small Business Year Award: The Montrose, Calif., bookstore will be recognized during the California Small Business Association’s annual ceremony at the Sacramento Convention Center on May 25th as the Small Business of the Year for the 25th Senate District. Once Upon a Time was founded in 1966, and has been run by the Palacios family since 2003. The bookstore won the 2015 Women’s National Book Association’s Pannell Award for best children’s bookstore.
New Owner for Viewpoint Books: Terry and Susan Whittaker will introduce the new owners of the 43-year-old Columbus, Ind., bookstore on April 30. Their names are being kept secret until then. The transition will take place on July 1.
Renowned Pittsburgh Bookseller Jay Dantry Dies: Long-time Pittsburgh bookseller Jay Dantry, founder of Jay’s Book Stall, which he closed in 2008, died on April 17. He was 87. “I’ll always be grateful to him for the year I spent working at the Book Stall,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon in a tribute.
