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Fine Print Booksellers Opens in Maine

Fine Print Booksellers

On July 1, Kristen Kuehnle held a grand opening celebration for her new bookstore, Fine Print Booksellers, which is located in the historic Dock Square in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Customers attending the opening celebration enjoyed wine and cheese, as well as a complimentary tote bag with each $100 purchase.

The bookstore specializes in quality fiction, local authors, and current bestsellers.

Queens Bookshop Initiative Holds Soft Opening

Holly Nikodem, Natalie Noboa, and Vina Castillo, the trio of former Barnes & Noble employees behind the Queens Bookshop Initiative, invited borough residents to visit the store over two weekends, August 5–6 and 12–13, for a soft opening, reported the Queens Chronicle.

The Kew Gardens bookstore features new and used books for adults and kids as well as tote bags, mugs, notebooks, and more. The store also features a mural illustrated by children’s book author and illustrator David Ezra Stein.

“We will never forget our first customer walking in and the first book purchase,” the owners posted on Facebook. “We were so happily overwhelmed by the community’s love and encouragement. We truly love you, Kew Gardens, Queens, and those who trekked over from all around.”

McLean & Eakin, Another Read Through Mark Anniversaries

In Petoskey, Michigan, McLean & Eakin Booksellers celebrated 25 years in business on Tuesday, August 15, with a variety of treats from Petoskey Cheese and Julienne Tomatoes. Customers were also invited to share their favorite memory of McLean & Eakin on its in-store timeline.

Julie Norcross opened McLean & Eakin in 1992; her son, Matt Norcross, and his wife, Jessilynn, purchased the store in 2009.

Another Read Through in Portland, Oregon, is celebrating its fifth birthday this month with a “parade of authors,” beginning with a series of readings by local authors on August 12 and continuing with another set on August 26, reported the Oregonian.

“It’s just a celebration of the literary community here in Portland,” said owner Elisa Saphier, whose 1,790-square-foot store features an inventory of more than 20,000 new and used books.

New Owners for Cover to Cover

Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers

Melia and Ed Wolf have purchased Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers in Columbus, Ohio, from longtime owners Sally Oddi and Randy King, reported the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association.

The store will close to relocate this fall, and the Wolfs plan to reopen in January.

Andover Bookstore, Ellen Plumb’s on the Move

Andover Bookstore, which has been located in Andover, Massachusetts, for more than 200 years, is moving after 50 years in its current storefront, the Andover Townsman reported.

Early next month, owner John Hugo will move the store across the street, into a building that faces Main Street. “Our cozy new home has unique character and loads of charm — detailed ornate woodwork, leaded windows, a soaring ceiling, and a fireplace,” Hugo said. The store will not close for the move, but rather carry it out overnight.

Hugo also owns The Book Rack in Newburyport, Cabot Street Books & Cards in Beverly, and Spirit of ’76 Bookstore & Cardshop in Marblehead, as well as a clothing store in Andover.

After suffering water damage due to a leaky roof during heavy rain, Ellen Plumb’s City Bookstore, located in Emporia, Kansas, relocated over the weekend with the help of the community, reported the Emporia Gazette.

A number of community members, including members of the Emporia High School Spartan Football team, came out to assist owner Marcia Lawrence with the move; the store was officially settled in its new location on Monday, August 14.

Savoy, Bank Square Partner with Pequot Museum

Annie Philbrick, owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut, and Savoy Bookshop & Café in Westerly, Rhode Island, has launched a partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Through the new partnership, the museum’s gift shop will bring in more than 500 books on Native American arts and culture, as curated by the museum’s experts and staff, with the goal of providing authentic, culturally sensitive, and accurate Native narratives. The partnership also aims to bring book tours and lectures to the museum’s auditorium and gathering spaces.

“We are thrilled to simultaneously support a local business and offer our community the exciting and fulfilling experience of discovering a wide variety of noteworthy Native American works,” said Philbrick. “Museum visitors from near and far will benefit from our combined ability to bring the titles — and the authors — to Connecticut, where they can pursue their quest for in-depth Native subject matter, both historic and contemporary.”

Conundrum Bookstore Launches Publishing Arm

The Conundrum, an independent book and puzzle shop in historic St. Francisville, Louisiana, is launching a publishing arm, Feliciana Publishing Partners, reported the News Star.

Feliciana Publishing Partners will launch with a collection of essays and articles by Ronnie Virgets, a New Orleans resident, in early September.

Owner Missy Aleman Couhig told the News Star that the publishing project aims to publish books while also acting as a partner to the author.

Water Street Bookstore Wins Independent Spirit Award

The Book Publishers Representatives of New England has given the 2017 Independent Spirit Award to Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, New Hampshire.

The annual award recognizes excellence in a bookstore member of the New England Independent Booksellers Association.

Owner Dan Chartrand opened Water Street Bookstore in 1991.