A Dozen New Bookstores Open in June

Twelve newly opened bookstores joined the American Booksellers Association's ranks in June. Reflecting the diversity of which independent booksellers are proud, these newest members include general, children's, and new age booksellers, as well as one store with a focus on revolution.

BTW recently had the opportunity to speak to three of the newest booksellers -- Denise McCarty of The Book Patch in Thief River Falls, Minnesota; Martha Collins of The Reading Tree in Alpharetta, Georgia; and Matt Cowper of Waterside Bookstore in Edenton, North Carolina -- about their openings and plans for the future.

The Book Patch had been open for its first 45 minutes ever when BTW spoke with owner Denise McCarty, who held a soft opening on June 27. The 1,500-square-foot bookstore stocks "a little bit everything," with an emphasis on fiction and children's literature as well as psychology, nature, pets, and gardening. McCarty is planning a grand opening for mid-July, when she'll hand out giveaways, including Book Patch tote bags.

A school counselor for 13 years, McCarty said her career in bookselling grew out of her interest in attending book auctions. Opening The Book Patch served the dual purpose of satisfying her collector's book lust and filling a community need in Thief River Falls, a rural area with "lots of farmers and kids." As she worked to open the store, McCarty welcomed area residents who stopped by to express their gratitude. "One little girl who was maybe eight years old said how cool it was that a bookstore was opening, and she thanked us," McCarty said.

While preparing for the June 20 opening of The Reading Tree, a children's bookstore in Alpharetta, Georgia, Martha Collins hit a "learning curve that was straight up." The former school librarian and teacher said that although she was familiar with children's literature, bookselling was a "whole different ballgame." Still, the Paz Booksellers School graduate declared business "pretty good." She expects business to get even better with the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as the store grand opening on July 14, featuring live music, kids' karaoke, story time, a literary scavenger hunt, and cake and ice cream.

The native Georgian opened the 1,900-square-foot bookstore in an historic 1910 Queen Anne house on a busy corner of downtown Alpharetta. A glassed-in porch serves as the picture book section, with other rooms in the house divided according to reading age groups. The store also has an area for "carefully selected" adult fiction, cookbooks, and other general topics for parents. The Reading Tree currently hosts three story times a week, and will soon add additional, topical story times -- one for fathers and sons and another for children with special needs.

On June 19, Matt Cowper held a grand opening and ribbon cutting -- with sweet tea and other snacks -- at Waterside Bookstore in Edenton, North Carolina. About 20 people attended the official opening of the general 625-square-foot bookstore, which sells titles in "pretty much every category from fiction to nonfiction to children's."

Waterside derives its name from its location about 30 feet from the Chowan River, in an area locals refer to as Edenton Bay. The store has a spacious screened-in porch with rocking chairs and a view that is "amazing, probably one of the best in town," Cowper said.

Cowper had worked in retail at a Sherwin-Williams store mixing and selling paint, but had no previous bookselling experience. "I just conjured up this idea on a whim pretty much," he said. Edenton didn't have a bookstore. The nearest one had been at least an hour's drive away, so he saw a need and "decided to go for it."

His fellow Edentonians seem to appreciate his initiative. Cowper reported that "lots of people have been coming in, most of them ecstatic to have a bookstore in town. The sales so far have exceeded my expectations. I have been very pleased with the business so far." --Karen Schechner