Around Indies

Word After Word to Celebrate Grand Opening

Friday, February 17, marks the grand opening of Word After Word Bookshop in Truckee, California, which will celebrate with a series of events for adults and children throughout the weekend, reported the Sierra Sun. Events will include story times, author readings and signings, and live music and a champagne celebration.

Following the closure of Truckee’s The Bookshelf in January, Andie Keith and Nicolle Sloan decided to open their own store downtown. The bookstore carries new fiction and nonfiction for adults, children’s books and gifts, and local authors.

“I don’t think people open independent bookstores because they’re looking to make money, because they don’t usually,” Keith said. “I think people open independent bookstores for a love of books and a love of being around people who love books, and being able to provide that space.”

Zenith Bookstore to Open This Summer

Bob and Angel Dobrow will open Zenith Bookstore this summer in West Duluth, Minnesota, reported the Duluth News-Tribune. “It will be very much an independent, locally owned bookstore,” said Bob Dobrow. “We’re looking forward to becoming a significant part of the community.”

Last summer, Dobrow purchased the building that will house the 1,600-square-foot bookstore. It will carry mostly used books, as well as new bestsellers, local and regional books, and independently published books, said Dobrow, who is retiring from teaching math at a college outside Minneapolis this year. The store will also buy and trade books.

“West Duluth jumped out at us as this strong community. We felt a little like it was meant to be,” Dobrow said. “There seems to be a lot happening, on this block in particular. I can see it becoming a destination.”

Vermont’s Yankee Bookshop Joins Phoenix Books Family

Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner, the owners of Vermont’s Phoenix Books, with locations in Essex, Burlington, Rutland, and Chester, have purchased Woodstock’s Yankee Bookshop, which opened in 1935.

Susan Morgan, who bought the shop in 2001, handed over the reins on February 1, but she will stay on at the store for a few months to ease the transition. DeSanto plans to bring a few changes to the bookstore, though nothing drastic. “Susan Morgan has passed on a thriving and successful bookstore; our job is to keep that going,” said DeSanto.

Kari Meutsch, who has worked at Phoenix Books for five years, will oversee day-to-day operations and onsite owner-management along with her fiancé, Kristian Preylowski. “We are excited to continue the work of an existing business that has so much history within the community and the state; both of us have a deep respect for independent businesses that have survived and thrived over time, and we cannot wait to do our part to keep the tradition of the Yankee Bookshop alive for years to come,” said Meutsch.

Browseabout Books Partners With Local Bookmobile

This summer, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, will partner with the Cape Readiness Team to provide new books for the Cape Henlopen School District Bookmobile to distribute to readers in high-need neighborhoods, reported the Cape Gazette.

The Cape Readiness Team is part of the statewide Delaware Readiness Teams, which help communities provide various forms of support for children through age 8; the local Cape team had its state funding cut, which affected the bookmobile’s operations.

Browseabout will provide new board books, Spanish-language books, and other titles for the bookmobile to distribute. An estimated 3,000 books for children from birth to fifth grade will be delivered this summer.

As part of the Bookmobile Bookmark Contest, which kicked off on February 10, children in third to fifth grade at Cape elementary schools are invited to submit designs for a bookmark that will be given away with each book. The winning bookmark will be selected by Browseabout employees.