Around Indies

Posman Books Opens in Atlanta

New York City-based Posman Books’ new outpost opened on October 29 in Atlanta’s historic Ponce City Market. The new store carries adult and children’s books, toys and games, and greeting cards.

The family-owned Posman Books has operated locations in New York City for more than 20 years; its current shops are in Rockefeller Center and in Chelsea Market. In 2012, New York magazine named Posman’s Chelsea Market location Manhattan’s best bookstore.

Jamestown Properties, which owns Chelsea Market, is the developer for Ponce City Market, a mixed-use development that features retailers, restaurants, offices, and residential units.

Cabot Street Books & Cards Debuts

A soft opening for Cabot Street Books & Cards in downtown Beverly, Massachusetts, was held on November 1, Beverly Patch reported.

The bookstore is part of the HugoBooks company, which has locations in Andover, Newburyport, and Marblehead, Massachusetts. John Hugo heads the business, which was founded by his father, Bob Hugo, who died in August.

Cabot Street Books & Cards, which is located in the former Casa de Moda gift shop storefront, is attached to the popular Atomic Café. The Book Rack in Newburyport, one of the bookshop’s sister stores, shares a similar setup with its local Atomic Café.

Dog Ear Books to Open November 4

In downtown Russellville, Arkansas, Dog Ear Books will celebrate its grand opening on November 4. The store is owned by mother-and-daughter team Pat Young, a former teacher and retired assistant principal of the Russellville School District, and Emily Young, who owns The BrainStorm Agency, a graphic design business.

The store will offer new books as well as some used, a local authors section, magazines, book totes, candles, soaps, apparel, and greeting cards. Events will include movie and book parties, poetry and open mic nights, book readings and author signings, children’s story times, book club meetings, workshops and classes, talent shows, and acoustic music sets.

Regarding the store’s name, Emily Young explained on the store’s blog, the fact that Dog Ear Books is in the present tense is notable — that the crime of dog-earing has not already been committed. “The philosophy behind dog-earing a book is pretty straightforward. You need to mark a place to return to at a future point in time. We want to be that place for you. We want you to come in, find something perfect, while also finding things that will bring you back for more,” Young wrote.

Bird in Hand to Open November 7

Bird in Hand, a bookstore/café collaboration between Ivy Bookshop owners Ann and Ed Berlin and restaurateur Spike Gjerde, will open in the Charles Village neighborhood in Baltimore, near Johns Hopkins University, on November 7, reported the Baltimore Sun.

About the area, Ed Berlin said, “It is probably the largest concentration of writers, poets, and educators in the city of Baltimore, so we’re not framing this as a purely Hopkins experience. There’s a need for a coffeehouse and there’s a need for an additional bookstore. This gives people in the area choice.”

The store will carry 2,500 books (as opposed to Ivy Bookshop’s 26,000), and the selection will be similar to the stock at the main store. A book curator will be available daily to help customers find the right books, and the shop will also serve as Ivy Bookshop’s primary event space.

The kitchen will be managed by David Speegle, who also oversees the kitchens at Baltimore’s Artifact Coffee and Grand Cru. The food menu will feature pastries, sandwiches, baked goods, and cereals, and drinks will include coffee, herbal tea, and local juices. Lauren Pavin will serve as the general manager.

Ada’s Technical Books to Expand

Ada’s Technical Books & Café in Seattle, Washington, is adding a science-themed events and workshop space, which will open on November 17, reported Capitol Hill Times.

Owned by Danielle Hulton and her husband, David, the bookstore, named for the mid-1800s mathematician Ada Lovelace, opened in 2010 on Broadway and doubled in size with its move to 15th Avenue in 2013, when it also added an espresso bar and later a co-working space.

The Lab, a name inspired by chemist Marie Curie, will feature a test-tube chandelier over the bar, which will serve coffee and cocktails, and fold-up tables to make room for speaker and workshop events. The space will also be home to a monthly prix fixe dinner and can be used for parties and work events. The periodic table of elements decorates one wall.

Skylight Books Celebrates 20 Years

The month of October marked Skylight Books’ 20th anniversary, and the Los Angeles store celebrated on October 29–30 with a 20 percent off sale all weekend, a cocktail party on Saturday, and a children’s brunch featuring a story-crafting workshop with Pseudonymous Bosch on Sunday.

To commemorate its two decades in business, Skylight’s website features an archive of photos, ephemera, and stories and anecdotes from current and former staff, customers, and industry folks.

Kerry Slattery, who opened the store in the vacant space of Chatterton’s Bookshop after the owner died, shared her feelings about the store: “My unconditional relationship with and co-creation of Skylight Books is the achievement I’m proudest of in my life. There have been some tough spots over the years, but there never was any doubt that we would make it through — because we were all committed to make it thrive.”

Slattery turned over her general manager duties to staff member Mary Williams in January 2015; she will also pass along her share and management of the ownership to Williams this coming January, she noted.

Napa Bookmine Promotes Slow Living Through Letter Writing

On October 26, a group of customers met at Napa Bookmine in Napa, California, to put actual pens to paper for the store’s monthly Slow Correspondence & Letter Writing Social, reported the Napa Valley Register.

“This event really fits with our identity,” Bookmine owner Naomi Chamblin told the Register. “Our whole business is promoting the ‘slow’ lifestyle,” such as visiting a bookstore to browse the options instead of just buying online.

Blank note cards, envelopes, rubber stamps, and colorful ink were available to use at the event.

Bookmine event manager Dylan Brown said letter-writing is “a nostalgic thing that can be kind of therapeutic.” He hopes more people will attend the store’s letter-writing socials after the holidays, when thank-you notes are in order.