Around Indies

Porter Square Pre-Sells 4,500 Copies of New Gaiman Title

Thanks to its designation as one of only two bookstores that were allowed to pre-sell signed copies of Neil Gaiman’s new fantasy novel,­ The Ocean at the End of the Lane (William Morrow), Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has already sold 4,500 copies of the new title, which publishes on June 18.

Store co-owner Dale Szczeblowski told the Herald: “We’ve never handled anything on this scale,” he said. “We’ve never sold that many copies of any book in any place I’ve ever worked, and I’ve been in the business 30 years… It’s better than Christmas.”

Peregrine Book Company Receives Historic Preservation Award

Peregrine Book Company in Prescott, Arizona, has received an historic preservation award for the renovation of its building in the city’s downtown area. The location — which in the past has housed a hardware store, a bank, and a boutique — had existed as a warehouse for many years.

Peregrine Book Company transformed the old structure into a beautiful retail space with massive wooden trusses, LED lighting, hand-blown glass fixtures, and 16 skylights. Windows that were covered with stucco decades ago were reopened and replaced with energy efficient glazing. The entrance to the bookstore now features a locally crafted wooden door with a bronze peregrine feather for a handle.

The Prescott Preservation Commission Restoration Award was presented to Peregrine Book Company as part of Arizona Historic Preservation Month.

Harvard Book Store Partners on Recovering the Classics Project

Recovering the Classics, a joint project by the Creative Action Network, DailyLit, and Cambridge’s Harvard Book Store, is calling on illustrators and designers to submit cover art for titles that have been deemed 50 of the greatest works of fiction in the public domain.

Artists and illustrators are welcome to contribute as many covers for as many books as they would like; however, covers for a single book must be different concepts, not variations on the same concept. Covers will be paired with the contents of the books, which will be available at Recovering the Classics as $3 e-books or $15 physical books printed by the Harvard Book Store. Profits will be split between the organizations and the covers’ creators. The project’s website states: “Together we can help to keep these classics fresh, modern, and accessible to new generations of readers.”

Gibson’s Buys Assets of Imagination Village

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire, which is preparing to move into larger quarters this summer, has purchased the assets of Imagination Village, a retailer of educational toys and teaching supplies, and has hired its former owner, Laura Miller, to work at the bookstore when it opens on South Main Street.

Miller will oversee Gibson’s stock of educational toys, games, and puzzles, and will organize children’s and family events for the bookstore.

“I’m still a bookstore purist,” Gibson’s owner Michael Herrmann told the Concord Monitor. “I think, though, that what Laura does — what she’s built — is a great complement for a bookstore, and can really take the bookstore to the next level.”

Gibson’s Bookstore is moving to the former site of the New Hampshire Bindery. Herrmann is leasing the entire first floor to create a 10,000-square-foot bookstore and will be subletting a portion of the space to True Brew Barista. The children’s area at the new store will be larger than all of the current Gibson’s, Herrmann said.

New England Bookstores Explored

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette highlighted a number of New England bookstores in a recent feature article. Among the many stores mentioned, Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont, was recognized for its “rambling corners” and large children’s section. The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont, was singled out for its wide-ranging children’s inventory, and Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro was noted as specializing in social justice topics and multicultural children’s books.

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire, was called “a cheerful place to find writers talking about their books,” while Portland, Maine’s Longfellow Books was described as “a rich discovery.”

Attention was brought to Other Tiger in Westerly, Rhode Island, for its many rooms filled with books, as well as to nearby Barrington Books.

Powell’s to Undergo Renovations

Earlier this month in a memo to employees, Powell’s CEO Miriam Sontz announced plans for a 2014 renovation of the Portland, Oregon, bookstore. In her note, Sontz stated, “This is the last piece of a long-term movement towards fully upgrading the entire Burnside Building.”

In addition to necessary seismic measures, the project includes new lighting, new windows, and a new roof.

During the construction period from January through June, Powell’s Green and Blue Rooms will be closed, and books currently housed in those areas will be temporarily moved to other locations in the building. The store will continue normal operations throughout the project and will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., 365 days a year.