Around Indies

Strand Pops Up in Sloan-Kettering

From today, September 19, to Sunday, September 22, Strand Book Store is holding an exclusive charity sample sale in the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Thrift Shop.  Strand will showcase select vintage books on topics ranging from cooking to travel to biographies. A portion of proceeds will benefit patient care, education, and research programs.

Politics and Prose Considers Second Location

Washington D.C.’s iconic Politics and Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse is considering opening a branch store in Georgetown, co-owner Bradley Graham told Washingtonian. Graham and Lissa Muscatine were recently approached by a group that very much wants the couple to open a bookstore in Georgetown. “We’re definitely interested,” Graham said.

The location under consideration is the old Georgetown Theater building, which has been vacant for two years. Georgetown is home to Bridge Street Books and a couple of resellers, but there has been a void since the Barnes & Noble’s M Street location closed in December 2011, and the closing of Olsson’s Books in 2008.

“We’re very mindful of the past history of bookstores in Georgetown,” said Graham. “We want to be very sure before opening a branch there that the financial risks would be worth it.”

Napa Bookmine Opens

Last Friday, Napa Bookmine, a new and used bookstore, opened in downtown Napa, California. Co-founders Naomi Chamblin and her fiancé, Eric Hagyard, are inviting the community to a “Grand Opening Shindig” this Saturday.

Chamblin, who along with Elayna Trucker, will manage the store, grew up working at her father’s Chamblin Bookmine in Jacksonville, Florida, where she began by shelving books and eventually took on more and responsibilities. Chamblin also worked for a stint at Strand Book Store in New York City.

Trucker has worked at Book Passage and Depot Bookstore in Marin. On the bookstore’s website, Hagyard, who learned the ins and outs of retailing in a small wine shop, is described as the finance guy.

Books & Company Celebrates 30 Years

Books & Company in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, will be celebrating its 30^th anniversary this Saturday with a party, where founder Diana Cohen and co-owner and managing partner Lisa Baudoin are encouraging community members and staff members past and present to share their memories, Living Lake Country reported. Thirty years ago, Cohen took over a small and under-stocked Little Professor, where she had worked for about three years, and convinced the landlord and a bank to take a chance.

The bookstore, which became Books & Company when the Little Professor franchise expired, has enjoyed strong community support since the day Cohen took over.

In 1995, Cohen moved the business to a bigger location. Then in 2007, Lisa Baudoin signed on as a co-owner and managing partner of the store. Cohen moved to South Carolina in 2008 but continues to help with the store’s bookkeeping and remains attached to the community that has continuously supported the indie bookstore.

“It’s amazing to stay in business for 30 years and it’s because of this community that we have been able to do just that,” said Baudoin. “I feel so lucky to be a part of this community and I love that I love my job.”