Around Indies

Vroman's to Provide Text Message Alerts for In-store Events

Vroman's Bookstore has partnered with NearU Search, a mobile marketing company, to provide customers with text message alerts about its in-store events.

"Our customers will never miss their favorite author again," said Vroman's promotional director, Jennifer Ramos, in a statement. "We have so many great events that it can be challenging to keep track of them all. Text messaging is a powerful way to promote our events to our customers with a modern, mobile lifestyle."

Customers can text VROMANS to 63278 to get weekly text message alerts at no charge, and every Monday subscribers will get a list of the week's events, including times and locations. The service will also send a reminder alert before an event.

Market Street Books Named Small Business of the Year

Congratulations to North Carolina's Market Street Books at Arts & Letters Community Center, an independent bookstore and nonprofit community center, recently named "2008 Small Business of the Year" by the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce.

Market Street's executive director, Michael Lyle, said in a statement: "We are thrilled to provide our community with great service, enriching programming, and connections to the local literary scene. I believe this award is not just a testament to our value to our own community, but also to the importance of local independent bookstores and businesses across the country."

Businesses are nominated for the award by community members, finalists are chosen by the chamber of commerce, and winners are selected by the chamber's board of directors.

Page After Page Owner Looks Back on First Anniversary

Page After Page's Murrie Zlotziver said that he hit the ground running, when he bought the bookstore a year ago and started operations on the first day of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania's Ice Festival.

In the year since, he has hosted many events, including author signings, storytelling, musical performances, New Song Night, Poetry Night, an Evening of Jazz and Noir, and Jazz Conversations with Burgess, Mitchell and Seal. His plans for 2009 include cooking/gardening demos, more children's activities, author appearances, and readings, special celebrations for special times, and always more music.

"I have tried to bring both a depth and breadth to the fiction and nonfiction books found at Page After Page while maintaining strong and relevant children's, poetry, classic literature, cooking, and political sections," said Zlotziver in a note to BTW.

"Looking back, I have met some incredible people, very talented individuals who have made this journey both lively and worthwhile." Along the way, "there have been surprises, [including] Bucknell's decision to move its bookstore into town," and disappointments, but also delights, joys, and friendships. "And in the end, a trip, I'm glad I made," Zlotziver concluded.