Around Indies

Blackwood & Brouwer Marks 20 Years

Kinderhook, New York, bookstore Blackwood & Brouwer celebrated its 20th anniversary on June 19 by offering customers 20 percent off all purchases, plus 20 different kinds of cookies.

In an article in the Chatham Courier, co-owners Jean and Rondi Brower thanked customers, authors, and local publishers for their ongoing support of the store, and explained why their celebration included cookies: “After stories and a craft, there have always been cookies for refreshments, almost always baked by Jean Brower, often trying out new recipes. Jean, who previously owned a gourmet food and catering business, has spoken on the history of cookies to several local groups... Some of the cookies at the birthday celebration will be from cookbooks by local authors, including International Cookbook for Kids (Matthew Locricchio, Stuyvesant), Van Gogh’s Table (Alexandra Leaf, Stuyvesant), Foods of the Hudson (Peter Rose) and the forthcoming Teen Cuisine (Matthew Locricchio, Marshall Cavendish Corp). Some of the cookies will be made by customers/friends because this event, like so many others, would not be possible without the incredible support we’ve received over the years.”

Northern California Booksellers Respond to Digital Books

The Fresno Bee spoke to owners and customers of two local bookstores, Fig Garden Bookstore in Fresno and Book Garden in Exeter, about how local book lovers were adapting to e-commerce and digital books.

"We'll have to diversify and learn to do things differently," said Fig Garden owner Jean Shore.

Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Executive Director Hut Landon was also quoted in the article, where he cited ABA's IndieCommerce solution as a way for "independent bookstores to serve customers who want to download e-books but still crave a bookstore experience."

Green Apple “Best of the BayList”

San Francisco's Green Apple Books is BayList's 2010 “Best Bookstore.” More than 70,000 BayList readers cast votes for their favorite local businesses.

Green Apple also won the “Best Bookstore” designation in 2008.