Around Indies

Aunt Agatha’s to Receive 2014 Raven Award

Aunt Agatha’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been named the recipient of the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) 2014 Raven Award for outstanding achievements in the mystery field outside of writing.

An independent mystery bookstore, Aunt Agatha’s carries a selection of new and used mysteries, detective, and crime books and helped in founding the Kerrytown Bookfest, which celebrates authors and readers alike.

The award will be presented at the Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City on May 1, 2014.

DIESEL Malibu for Sale

The DIESEL, A Bookstore location in Malibu, California, is up for sale, reported the Malibu Times.

Co-owner John Evans cited financial constraints and a need to focus on the business’s growing number of stores outside of Malibu, calling it a “problem of our own success.” A localized buyer, he added, could likely focus more attention on the Malibu location and improve business.

“In general, bookstores are best when local people that own the place and live in the place work in the place,” said Evans, who with Alison Reid, owns DIESEL stores in Oakland, Brentwood, and Larkspur, California.

They hope to find a buyer in the next six to eight weeks who will keep a bookstore in Malibu but have no definite timeframe in place. Interested parties can contact Evans at [email protected]. 

Letters to Open in Durham

This month, Land Arnold, one of the three original owners of Flyleaf Books, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, plans to open Letters, a new shop selling used, rare, and out-of-print books, in downtown Durham.

Arnold told the Herald-Sun that he thinks every neighborhood should have a bookstore, and he saw “so much vibrancy and potential” in downtown Durham.

Arnold plans to sell more contemporary used fiction, which he hopes will turn over quickly, as well as quirkier titles and select new adult and children’s books, with all proceeds from children’s book sales going toward Book Harvest, a provider of books for children in need.