Around Indies

Update: November 8, 2013

Penguin Bookshop to Change Hands

Early next year, Susan Hans O’Connor will be taking over the Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, reported TribLive. O’Connor has been working at the bookstore since January and has a background in publishing.

The sale was announced to customers via e-mail from the store’s current owners, Bud and Janet McDanel, who purchased the store in 2007. “We feel certain that [O’Connor] will be a wonderful owner and is eminently qualified to carry the bookshop into the future,” they said.

The store will undergo some changes, including a move to a more affordable location. “We have very, very loyal customers, and I’m hoping we can maintain all of the things everybody loves about the current store and move it into a sustainable space,” O’Connor said.

STLBooks & Gifts to Open in St. Louis

Next Monday, November 11, STLBooks & Gifts is scheduled to open in St. Louis, Missouri. The soft opening will be followed by an official ribbon-cutting celebration on November 21.

STL’s inventory will include new and carefully selected used books with a special focus on literature, creative expression, St. Louis authors, graphic novels, and children’s lit.

Owner Robin Theiss, a former president of the St. Louis Writers Guild, has been a book collector for years, and plans to fill the store’s shelves with many of the books she’s accumulated.

“This is kind of a playground for me,” she told STL Today. “I hope the passion is infectious.”

Odyssey Bookshop Turns 50

This weekend, Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is celebrating its 50^th  anniversary. Founded in 1963 by Romeo Grenier, the bookstore is now owned by his daughter, Joan. The weekend’s festivities include in-store discounts, a scavenger hunt, a pajama party, giveaways, face painting, a live broadcast on a local radio station, a cookbook demonstration and tasting, and more.

On Sunday, Odyssey will revive a tradition of its original owner — a high tea — and is inviting the community to share memories of the bookshop throughout the years.

RiverRun Opens New Location

RiverRun Bookstore, based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has opened a second location in Kittery, Maine, near the entrance to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In recent years, the area has become home to many restaurants, and a café is slated to open adjacent to the bookstore.

“As downtown Kittery grows and becomes an exciting place to visit, we are excited to be a part of that,” owner Tom Holbrook told Portsmouth Patch.

Malaprop’s Celebrates Long-Tenured Manager

Linda Barrett, general manager and buyer at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, was recently surprised with a combined birthday and anniversary celebration. Barrett celebrated a milestone birthday this year, while marking 25 years of employment at the bookstore. An impressive book-inspired cake was presented by well-known local baker Karen Donatelli. Thanks to Jon Mayes of PGW-Perseus for the photo.

Three Indie Bookstores Named Semifinalists for “The Indie Award”

This week, Independent We Stand announced 25 semifinalists for the 2013 Independent Small Business of the Year Award and among them were three indie bookstores: Charis Books and More, a feminist indie in Atlanta, Georgia; Partners Village Store, offering gift, toy, paper and book departments, as well as a cafe, in Westport, Massachusetts; and Afterwords Books, a used book store in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Semifinalist voting is now underway through December 1, when the 10 submissions receiving the highest number of public votes will be named finalists. The winner of “The Indie” is then chosen by a panel of contest judges and will be announced on December 4.