Around Indies

Book Passage Opens Branch in Sausalito

California’s Book Passage, which has locations in San Francisco and Corte Madera, has opened a new, 1,800-square-foot branch in Sausalito, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. The store carries 70 percent new books and 30 percent cards, journals, and other items.

Cheryl Popp, one of the store’s managers, said area residents are thrilled to have a bookstore again. “Not only is it a bookstore, but it’s a Book Passage, which has a great reputation,” said Popp.

“Everyone thought that with Amazon and digital books, traditional bookstores would have gone away,” Popp added. “But they have not. People like to hold a book in their hands, and they think of a bookstore as a community center. They add a lot to the fabric of any community.”

Bards Alley to Open in Virginia

Jen Morrow will open Bards Alley, a bookstore, wine bar, and café, in Vienna, Virginia, this spring, reported the Vienna Patch.

“I’ve always been a book lover,” said Morrow, who previously worked in consulting but was drawn to opening a bookstore to serve as a “third place.”

The bookstore will carry literary classics, nonfiction titles, and children’s books and will offer story times, author visits, book clubs, and poetry and writing workshops. Customers will also be able to purchase wine, craft beer, coffee, and bread and cheese.

The Last Bookstore Owners Buy The Bookmark

Linda McGeary, owner of The Bookmark in Bend, Oregon, is retiring and selling the business to Josh and Heidi Spencer, who own The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles, reported the Bend Bulletin.

“We just saw an opportunity,” said Josh Spencer, who manages the Los Angeles bookstore remotely a majority of the time. The Spencers, who live in Bend, will operate their new bookstore along with an employee.

Spencer plans to change the bookstore’s name to Big Story and update the 2,700-square-foot store’s inventory to include new books and used DVDs; the store will also take on some of the overflow of books from The Last Bookstore.

The Bookworm of Edwards to Celebrate 20 Years

The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, reported Vail Daily, and has just completed a remodel of its popular café space. “This year will be a celebration of where we’ve come from and where we’re going,” said owner Nicole Magistro.

Kathy Westover founded the bookstore in a van in 1996 and in 1997 partnered with Neda Jansen to open a brick-and-mortar store. Magistro began working at the bookstore in 2002 and bought Westover’s share of the business in 2005; the café was added to the shop in 2007.

“We wanted a place to go and meet that wasn’t a bar and a 14-seat coffee shop seemed manageable,” Magistro said. The café has since grown both its physical space and its menu. Now that the remodel, which included new tables, chairs, and a fresh coat of paint, is complete, the café’s chef will look toward expanding its menu.

Bookstore1Sarasota on the Move

Florida’s Bookstore1Sarasota is moving this month to a new location just feet from its current downtown home, reported the Herald-Tribune. The store will close on February 14 and reopen in its new storefront on February 22 or 23.

The move into Sarasota’s historic Orange Blossom building, which is also home to Burke Antiques and Palm Avenue Fine Art, will give Bookstore1 about 50 percent more floor space than it currently has, said owner Georgia Court.

“We have needed more space for a long time now,” Court said. “That’s really clear when we hold author events in the store.”