A Paris bookstore goes digital-only; a Montana store to pair tea with its books; a Kansas icon says goodbye; and more.
POD-Only Bookstore in Paris: Paris’s Libraire des Puf, first founded in 1921 and then forced to close by soaring rent in 2010, is back. The bookstore, which run by the University Press of France, has reinvented itself as a storefront in the Latin Quarter, without books. Customers can have a cup of coffee and use a tablet to place their order for a book, which is then printed on an Espresso Book Machine. The concept is working so well that other publishers are about to begin selling through the store, which is considering expanding to other university towns in France.
Billings Bookstore to Open at End of Month: The community-owned This House of Books will hold an open house on Thursday evening June 30 with assorted teas and snacks. The store will host author events, tea tastings, book clubs, writers’ groups, children’s story times, game nights, comedy nights, and live music.
Varney’s Closing on June 30: After 126 years, the Manhattan, Kans., bookstore is shutting its doors at all three locations. The bookstore, which Joseph Guy Varney founded in 1890 to sell books to students at the Kansas Agricultural College, had long been rumored to close.
Seattle’s Bookstore Exchange Closing: After closing in 2012 and reopening two years later, the used bookstore is liquidating its inventory and all fixtures.
Christian Bookstore to Close in Groton, Ct.: Dennis and Liz McGee will close 24-year-old Cornerstone Bookstore in July. They said that their decision came from competition with online retailers and increased business costs.
