Around Indie Bookstores

Skylight Books 1814 Celebrates Grand Opening Saturday

Photo credit: Lindsay George

The grand opening celebration of Skylight Books 1814 will be held this Saturday, August 30, and will be highlighted by a 3:00 p.m. Ribbon Cutting Party and Champagne "Christening," followed by a musical performance from "Skylight Juice" (a band formed by Skylight staff members). The new storefront houses art, design, photography, architecture, music, film, and theatre titles, magazines, and graphic novels.

When Skylight expanded into the new space at the end of July, co-owner and general manager Kerry Slattery told BTW: "Even though getting the space ready to open took about two months longer than I had originally figured on, we are bursting with pride and excitement that it is finally all coming together."

Northern Lights Marks 15th Anniversary

Northern Lights Books & Gifts in Duluth, Minnesota, is 15 years old this month. "We have more than survived," said store owner Anita Zager. "Our success is due to many factors, including a rich collection of regionally related books and high quality, local authors. We have a great location that gives us a strong summer season." Staff at the full-service bookstore is active and selective in choosing inventory, believes it is important to support local literary efforts, and enjoys talking with customers about books and offering excellent customer service, said Zager.

Because of its size (1,700 square feet) and in the spirit of community, Northern Lights has become highly successful at partnering with local groups for events off site. The bookstore plans to celebrate its anniversary with a series of special events in September that highlights its literary ties in the community.

Murder By The Book Supports Injured Veterans

Houston's Murder By The Book is donating 10 percent of its sales of Kathy Reich's new novel, Devil Bones, to Helping a Hero, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization providing support for severely injured military personnel. The store's David Thompson explained that the group's "principal activity is to provide specially adapted homes for qualifying service members as well as engaging the community to provide services and resources for wounded heroes and their families." Reichs will appear at a September 5th event at the store.

This past spring, Murder By The Book was named the recipient of a 2007 James Patterson PageTurner Award in the amount of $2,500 in recognition of its original and effective ways of promoting the excitement of books.

BYU Bookstore Party Draws Blood

BYU Bookstore reported that about 2,000 people came to its August 1 celebration for the release of BYU English graduate Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn. Of special note was the bookstore's very successful blood drive, which began in the afternoon and continued during its nighttime party. The tally recently came in from Mountain Star Blood Services: 65 people donated blood during the event, with the last finishing up at 2:00 a.m.

BYU Bookstore's third floor was transformed into Cullen's Culinary Cafe, where refreshments were served to blood donors and party guests. Refreshments included "Transfusion" (red fruit punch) and "Bella's Best" (cupcakes with red frosting). Guests were entertained by a live performance of songs from the first three Twilight Books' playlists, and events included trivia games, drawings, and giveaways.

By the Fireside and Around the World

Linda Parks and Kay Hooper, the owners of Fireside Books and Gifts in Forest City, North Carolina, recently wrote to tell us about their very successful summer reading program, which took youngsters on a world tour through books. "Travelers" joined for the summer and received a "passport," which included maps of each country visited. After each session, they went through "customs" and received a stamp in their passport.

The program, which took place on Saturdays in June, July, and August, included story times, crafts, music, food, and guest appearances.

Neighborhood Organizes to Help Make Bookstore a Reality

Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo, events manager at New York City's McNally Jackson Booksellers, recently announced her intentions to open a bookstore in the Fort Green section of Brooklyn, where a survey of 380 locals found that 74 percent of them wanted a bookstore in the neighborhood. The Fort Greene Association is working with Stockton Bagnulo to help make her bookstore a reality. The group has created a flier announcing the Fort Greene Bookstore Initiative as well as a Bookstore Kickoff Party scheduled for September 16.

In January, Stockton Bagnulo was named the winner of a $15,000 grant in the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! Competition for her business plan for a bookstore in Brooklyn. She's chronicling her efforts and the community's support on her blog A Bookstore in Brooklyn.