Around Indies

Green Apple Books Teams Up With Foursquare

Green Apple Books, in San Francisco, California, has teamed up with Foursquare for the promotion of Chris Cleave’s new book, Incendiary (Simon & Shuster). When customers show their check-in to Green Apple Books on Foursquare to the clerk at the counter at the bookstore and purchase Incendiary, they will receive a free copy of Cleave’s first novel, Little Bee. Details (along with a video) are posted on the store’s blog.

New Indie to Open in Knoxville

Three active members of the Knoxville bookselling scene have come together to form a new store, Union Avenue Books, set to open this April.

Flossie McNabb, a former partner in the now-shuttered Carpe Librum Booksellers, and Mary and Kaveh Dabir, the owners of Mr. K’s used-book chain, will be the new owners of Union Avenue Books.

The new store, which will feature both new and used books, will host author readings, book groups, and children’s events. “This’ll be different [from Carpe Librum],” McNabb told the Knoxville News Sentinel.“It’ll be better.”

Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse Opens in New Location

Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse opened in its new location in La Jolla, California, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, February 7. The new store, which features an expanded title base, also offers a coffee and pastry counter and a dedicated readings and special-events area, according to the La Canada Valley Sun. It will also be home to an Espresso Book Machine.

“It’s not an accident that we chose to relocate across from the La Cañada Flintridge Community Center. It makes us a literary community center in a kind of way, which is what this town has never convincingly had,” owner Peter Wannier told The Sun.

Flintridge closed in April 2009, when an out-of-control 18-wheeler barreled through an intersection and smashed several vehicles before crashing into the store, killing two motorists and leaving at least a dozen people injured. No one in the bookstore was harmed. With support from the community, Wannier was able to bolster sales enough to reopen and to cover the cost of the new building’s construction.