A Texas bookstore readies for opening in a former Borders location; a New Jersey bookstore inspired by Barack Obama’s first election turns eight; a New Hampshire college store ponders going corporate; and more.
Dallas to Get a New Store at Former Borders Site: Named for a punctuation mark that is both a question and an exclamation (‽), Interabang Books is the brainchild of Nancy Perot and is co-owned by the store’s book buyer Lori Feathers, who is on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. Jeremy Ellis is leaving his post as general manager of Brazos Bookstore in Houston to fill that role at Interabang, which is slated to open in May. The store, Brazos told PW, is on the site of the former Taylor’s Bookstore and a profitable Borders.
Lorelei Books for Sale: Laura and Troy Weeks, who have owned the downtown Vicksburg, Miss., bookstore for the past decade, would like to sell the store and retire to North Carolina. “The bookstore will remain open regular hours; by continuing to shop here you can be a partner to the store’s changing hands,” they wrote in a letter to customers. The Weekses, who own the building, also promised the next owner “a reasonable” lease.
Keene State College Considering Outsourcing Bookstore: The Keene, N.H., bookstore is the latest school college store to consider contracting with a private company. Late last year the store received bids from Barnes & Noble and Follett, but no decision has been made yet.
[Words] Books Turns Eight: The Maplewood, N.J. bookstore posted a thank-you sign in its window to President and Mrs. Obama. “Eight years ago,” owners Johan and Ellen Zimiles wrote on Facebook, “we heeded Barack Obama’s call to serve our community.... Inspired to act, we opened [words]...on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009.”
The Last Word Bookstore Launches Fundraising Campaign: The eight-month-old Texas bookstore, which was named Best Bookstore 2016 by the Fort Worth Weekly, is trying to raise $20,000 to expand its inventory, improve its social media outreach, and make its backroom more usable for book clubs and other groups.
Binc Scholarship Applications: On January 16, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation launched its application period for $109,000 in college scholarships. Applications will be accepted until March 6, 2017. Current bookstore employees and owners, Independent Bookseller Association employees, as well as former Borders Group employees, are all eligible. Dependents of these employees are also eligible to apply.
Truckee, Calif., Bookstore to Close: After almost 25 years, the Bookshelf is preparing to close. Its Tahoe City location closed in 2012, and it sold its Quincy store. But despite owner Deborah Lane’s best efforts, she was unable to sell the remaining location in Truckee, and will close later this month.
Bluefield, W. Va., Store to Close: Owners Wilma Bury and Anne Hess have decided to close Hearthside Books on February 18. They told the Daily Bluefield Telegraph that they should have closed it two years earlier. The decline in downtown traffic and the Internet have both taken a toll.
