Around Indies

Harvard Launches Shopping App

Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has partnered with a local MIT tech start-up, AisleConnect, to launch AisleConnect Shopping Companion, a mobile shopping application that allows consumers to search for product availability, locate it on a store map, scan for reviews, and follow like-minded shoppers for recommendations. The app is available in Apple’s App Store and can be used with any iOS device.

“We are proud and excited to provide the Harvard Book Store community with the latest in social shopping technology and a fun and satisfying way to shop for books,” said Harvard Book Store owner Jeff Mayersohn.

“We are happy to accommodate Harvard Book Store's savvy customers with an even better way to shop for books whether they are searching for the latest best seller or a longtime classic,” stated Paul Lin, CEO and co-founder of Lineage Networks, producer of AisleConnect.

From May 2 – 16, customers can participate in an iPhone Scavenger Hunt using the AisleConnect app to win a Harvard Book Store vintage USB thumb drive and be entered into a drawing for a $50 bookstore gift card.

Origins Books to Open in June

Origins Books is scheduled to open in Tracy, California, by the end of June, reported the Tracy Press. Local area resident Katherine Fayad told the newspaper that she wants to serve “a new species of readers,” people who like both e-books and traditional hard copies.

“They need some place to go that’s local, that knows what they want or can get what they want,” Fayad said. “It was a shame when Barnes & Noble closed, but I like the small community idea, and I think the city itself will really thrive on having that.”

Fayad is collecting specific requests from customers about what they want to see at Origins Books on the store’s Facebook page.

Galaxy Bookshop Finds New Owners

In The Galaxy Bookshop’s May newsletter, the Hardwick, Vermont, store announced that Sandy Scott, who has been involved in the business for many years, and Andrea Jones, a longtime fan, will be purchasing the bookstore from owner and founder Linda Ramsdell.

Ramsdell, who opened The Galaxy Bookshop in 1988, announced her plans to retire last year. The sale is slated to be finalized at the end of the month, and a celebration is planned for May 24.

“Sandy and Andrea are thrilled to be taking over the care and keeping of The Galaxy Bookshop and are grateful to Linda for the vision and dedication that has made this store a vital part of Hardwick for more than 25 years,” the newsletter read. “In all that we do, we hope to honor that vision and always make The Galaxy Bookshop a place that inspires reading, writing, and community.”

Fountainhead Bookstore Hosts Tween Panel Extravaganza

Last month, The Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville, North Carolina, hosted a well-received Tween Panel Extravaganza at a local theater.

The event featured authors Natalie Lloyd, Donna Gephart, John Thompson, Alan Grantz, Tommy Hays, and Deron Hicks, who following the panel discussion mingled with their fans and signed copies of their books. The event also included a scavenger hunt and word collecting game.