Around Indies

Bright Side Bookshop Opens in Flagstaff

Annette Avery and Lisa Lamberson have purchased Barefoot Cowgirl Books in Flagstaff, Arizona, from owner Nancy Nelson and reopened the store as Bright Side Bookshop, reported the Arizona Daily Sun. An all-day grand reopening celebration will take place on Saturday, June 3.

“Bookstores can be more than just bookstores,” Avery said. “An independent bookstore is a community resource and a chance for people to take a moment and sit down with a book.”

A big part of the store’s focus will be its large section of local authors, who are invited to visit the store to promote their books. “Just go inside and introduce yourself because we would love to find a way to promote your book,” said Lamberson. “We have a vested interest in the community and the way we see it, we are giving them exposure, and they are giving us exposure.”

Politics and Prose to Split with Busboys & Poets, Open New Store

Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, owners of Washington, D.C.’s Politics and Prose, announced that it will be phasing out its involvement with Busboys & Poets over the next several weeks. The bookstore began managing the book sections at several Busboys & Poets locations in 2015, but the restaurants are now moving toward staffing and running their own bookstore operations.

Graham and Muscatine also announced that Politics and Prose will be opening a second location, in the vicinity of the Union Market food hall in Northeast Washington, D.C., in the fall. The new location will be smaller than the flagship store, but will host author events in an event space attached to the store and larger events at neighborhood venues. Plans for classes, workshops, and children’s activities are also being explored.

The Book Corner to Celebrate 90 Years

The Book Corner, located in Niagara Falls, New York, is celebrating its 90th birthday on Saturday, June 3, according to the Niagara Gazette.

Noting that the bookstore has been “a colorful holdout against the devastation that has plagued Main Street for decades,” the Gazette reported that the celebration will include three musicians performing throughout the day, a screening of a horror-comedy from a local film production company, refreshments, and a barbecue outside the store.

“We understand we’re not here without the public, and not just those from Niagara Falls, but from across Western New York and Ontario,” Jeff Morrow told the newspaper. The three-story bookstore is filled with new and used books and comfortable reading spaces.

BookTowne Marks 10 Years

BookTowne in Manasquan, New Jersey, celebrated its 10th anniversary over Memorial Day weekend. Owner Rita Maggio opened BookTowne on Memorial Day weekend in 2007.

In honor of its anniversary, BookTowne shared a video on Facebook featuring photos of the store, its customers and staff, and visiting authors from the past decade, as well as anniversary messages from a variety of notable authors, such as Will Schwalbe, Trevor Noah, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who said, “To see this small business thrive and survive in an increasingly competitive world of online purchases and big box booksellers, you all are showing that small businesses still provide essential services to our communities.”

BookBar Celebrates With Expansion, Book Donations to Local Schools

BookBar celebrated its fourth year as an independent bookstore and wine bar in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood on Saturday, May 27, with raffles, literary games and giveaways, a cake cutting, and a champagne toast.

In addition, the store partnered with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to donate more than 2,500 children’s books by local authors to Northwest Denver schools. The store, owned by Nicole Sullivan, said that these donations will ensure that children can take a book home for summer break. The effort is part of a program that BookBar and SCBWI hope to expand upon in order to connect Colorado students with Colorado authors.

BookBar also announced the addition of a 1,400-square-foot events and gallery space that will include a mini bar/café. When not being used as an event space, the gallery will feature local artists specializing in art created from and about books. The space will be available for community events and meeting reservations.

New Owners for Otto’s Bookstore

Kathryn Nassberg and Isak Sidenbladh have purchased Otto’s Bookstore in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, reported the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

“It seemed like a natural fit,” said Nassberg, whose family has lived in the area for more than 200 years. “My family has been loyal customers of the store for decades. I have fond memories of visiting the store as a child, just as my mother did years before.”

Sidenbladh’s family owns one of the oldest book publishers in Scandinavia.

Betsy Rider, whose father purchased the store in 1928, is retiring from the helm after 60 years at the store. “It’s two-sided,” Rider said. “I am very much relieved that there are good buyers who will keep the clientele happy and on the other side it’s not my store anymore.”