A Silver Jubilee for Oxford's Square Books

A customer takes a look at a window-display collage of photos, letters, articles, and other mementos spanning Square Books' 25-year history.

For a literary city like Oxford, Mississippi, which has been home to writers John Grisham, Larry Brown, Cynthia Shearer, and, of course, William Cuthbert Faulkner, the silver anniversary of its independent bookstore is great cause for celebration. So, naturally, Square Books' owners, Richard and Lisa Howorth, along with customers and current and former staff of the bookstore, will be partying all week from Tuesday, September 7, through Saturday, September 11, to mark the event. With readings, dances, and dinners scheduled for five nights of reveling, everyone from publisher reps, to customers, to friends and writers, will have a chance to participate in events that will also encompass Square Books' two offshoots: Square Books Jr., a children's store, which opened a year ago, and Off Square Books, which opened in 1993 to sell remainders, bargain books, and a selection of used and collectible books.

The week's events are "Honoring Publisher Representatives" on Tuesday, September 7; "Honoring Square Books Customers," a champagne and cake party on Wednesday; a radio show broadcast from Off-Square Books on Thursday; "Honoring Writers," with comments by writers on Friday; and capping the week on Saturday is a Square Books staff reunion.

"It's been a long haul," said former ABA president Richard Howorth, who is now doing less bookselling since being elected mayor of Oxford in June 2001. He expressed some ambivalent feelings about the anniversary: "You cherish the memories with happiness, but there's also a vague sense of loss to it all; you get sentimental." Howorth explained further, "I've looked at a lot of old photographs, documents, and letters from the past 25 years.... I came across traces of people who used to work here, writers who meant so much to the store, who are no longer alive. There are just a lot of emotional memories."

Howorth talked about the week of happenings. "We planned a series of mostly small events because we wanted to reflect on the past 25 years and wanted to remember how so many people helped the business become what it has."

At a dinner honoring the store's publishing representatives, Square Books owner Richard Howorth delivers a speech that recognized their vital contribution to independent booksellers.

The "Honoring Publisher Representatives" dinner was organized to "honor the publisher reps we've dealt with over the years," said Howorth. "Sometimes the reps are overlooked in terms of their value to the industry. So we wanted to have a small affair with the buyers and all the reps. I hope many will come from years past." Every buyer who's worked at Square Books will be in attendance, said Howorth, who also mentioned that he was the only buyer for 21 years, making the roundup a bit easier.

Customers can drink champagne and share some birthday cake while shopping during the 25 percent off sale on Wednesday's "Honoring Square Books Customers." On Thursday, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Olen Butler will be featured on the season premiere of Thacker Mountain Radio, hosted weekly by Off-Square Books and aired on WOXD Bullseye 95.5 in the Oxford area and re-aired by Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Butler will read from Had A Good Time (Atlantic Monthly), a new collection of stories inspired by vintage postcards the author has collected over many years.

Richard Howorth with long-time Square Books customers Bob and Penny Hawes.

At the "Honoring Writers" event, the bookstore will host a reading and remarks by Ellen Douglas, the first author to have a book signing at Square Books; Larry Brown; and John Grisham. They'll be reading from a flatbed truck in the street to allow for the anticipated large crowds and will then move inside.

For the Saturday night reunion, Howorth said that the bookstore was trying to get the word out to all who've worked at the bookstore to join in a dinner and dance. Square Books' general manager Lyn Roberts was looking forward to what she expected would be a "really fun night." She's been with the store since '86.

Asked to share the key to Square Books' continuing success with some words of advice for new booksellers, Howorth said: "Number one is hard work. Number two is, communication with customers and staff is important. Use as many different forms of communication as you can. Number three, don't be afraid to change. Number four is, don't use a lot of crazy ideas, just use some. Number five, never be afraid to give your store its own personality in any way you can think of. There is no model for the independent bookstore; only chains have models." Howorth paused to stress the last point, "Value and promote the First Amendment. Let that be my final piece of advice." --Karen Schechner