About Bookstores

Amid the majestic mountains of the Wood River Valley of Idaho, Gary Hunt has become the area's foremost purveyor of reading materials: He owns three stores and an active online business and each year sets up a temporary bookstore at the Sun Valley Writers' Conference.

From 1852 to the mid-1960s, the New York & Harlem Railroad ran northward through rural southeastern parts of New York State, regularly delivering passengers between New York City and small towns in counties like Columbia and Dutchess. And while those steel rails have long since been torn up and recycled, the path of the old railroad is again bringing people upstate and into these bucolic villages.

Clinton Book Shop, a 2,300-square-foot store located on Main Street in the Victorian-era town of Clinton, New Jersey, proudly proclaims its community roots.

Miami's Books & Books is renowned for a wide-ranging events calendar that has included readings by Hillary and Bill Clinton and Elie Wiesel, cooking demonstrations by Rachael Ray and Anthony Bourdain, and weekly lectures and discussions on a broad list of topics.

Elm Street Books in New Canaan, Connecticut, which had closed in March, reopened on Saturday, August 19, just up the street from its former location. The New Canaan community, eager for the bookstore to reopen, showed up in droves on opening day and all weekend long. "We were selling like it was Christmas," said store manager Kathleen Millard. "We had huge enthusiasm from customers.

For many independent bookstore owners the idea of retiring and having the time to read the books stacked at their bedsides might seem the stuff of dreams, but, inevitably, there comes a time when store owners have to make a decision regarding the future of their businesses. For some, this means selling the business either to an employee or to an outside party; for others, this means handing the business off to their children.

This week, Troubadour Books of Boulder, Colorado, is celebrating its first year in business and the start of its second. The 700-square-foot general bookstore, owned by Deb Evans, specializes in books and magazines on the performing arts, creative writing, and education and career development.

This week, Troubadour Books of Boulder, Colorado, is celebrating its first year in business and the start of its second. The 700-square-foot general bookstore, owned by Deb Evans, specializes in books and magazines on the performing arts, creative writing, and education and career development.

By Amy Stewart

When Art Burton and Barbara Turner decided it was time to sell Northtown Books, they knew how hard it could be to find a buyer for a small, independent bookstore. After all, they had only been able to purchase the bookstore from its previous owner, Jack Hitt, because he was willing to carry the note. The best way to keep the store alive, they realized, was for them to do the same. On June 1 -- right around the store's 40th anniversary -- longtime employee Dante DiGenova became Northtown's newest owner.

When Margaret Osondu of Osondu Booksellers in Waynesville, North Carolina, read that Amazon.com was offering discounted prices on "Sixty-Four Great Reads" in the July issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, she realized that she could certainly sell the same titles at the same discount; however, she didn't have the budget for an ad in a national magazine to bring this to the public's attention.

Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, New York, which offers an eclectic selection of books and gifts, has been serving a diverse community since 1971. The 3,000-square-foot store, owned by Janet and John Hutchison, is located on a pedestrian plaza in the downtown area and includes a gift gallery filled with a wide range of jewelry, pottery, glass, and fashion accessories.

The town of Salem, Oregon, is not a typical stop for many authors on tour, said Greg Millard, co-owner of Jackson's Books. But that hasn't stopped the 29-year-old bookstore from maintaining a full calendar of well-attended events, featuring readings and several writers-on-writing series presented by local authors.

Penny Latham of Paperback Writer, a bookstore in White Stone, Virginia, didn't have to be in the business long to figure out how important an independent business alliance is to local retailers and to the economic viability of a community. Latham, who also owns Penny Lane, an antiques store in White Stone, opened Paperback Writer in December 2005.

The 34-year-old Washington, DC-area independent, Olsson's Books & Music, will open a 3,600-square-foot store in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia, this fall. The new location, Olsson's sixth store, will be part of a retail and residential development that includes over 200 stores, shops, and eateries, over a dozen hotels, and nine parks.

Generating buzz about literature and literary events over radio airwaves has become a key part of the branding and marketing efforts of more than a few independent bookstores. For some, this may be through participation in a program such as The Spoken Word, and for others, through a seasonal appearance on National Public Radio's Morning Edition with Susan Stamberg.