Around Indies

Flintridge Bookstore Hosting Postal Service Counter

A new Village Post Office recently opened in Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse in La Canada Flintridge, California, to give members of the community more mailing choices, reported La Canada Online. At a limited-service counter, customers can purchase Forever stamps or mail U.S. Postal Service pre-priced Priority Mail Flat Rate parcels. The counter is located in the stationery section of the store and will operate during store hours.

Peter Wannier, who owns the store with his wife, Lenore, said they were both happy to have been chosen as the location for this new service and hope it will benefit the community.

Rizzoli Bookstore to Relocate

Rizzoli Bookstore, in New York City, is being forced to relocate, reported the New York Times. The owners of the building that houses Rizzoli recently informed the bookstore of their plans to demolish the 109-year-old building.

Though owners and developers are not disclosing much detail, one executive who has been briefed on the plans told the Times that the building’s owners hoped to find Rizzoli a new home. The executive said the developers had not decided whether to build a commercial or residential tower.

“It’s sad if we also lose those three limestone mansions, which were converted to commercial uses decades ago,” Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, told the Times. “There will be very little left on 57th Street that shows how it used to be… I think bookstores in New York City need to be protected at all costs.”

Slideshow Highlights Children’s Bookstores

A fun and colorful slideshow on DailyCandy recently highlighted 17 of what it deemed the “best kids’ bookstores” in the country. Included on the list were Brooklyn, New York’s WORD; Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia; Washington, D.C.’s Politics & Prose; Hooray for Books in Alexandria, Virginia; and Blue Manatee in Cincinnati, Ohio.

North Jersey Bookstores Featured

Several North Jersey independent bookstores were featured in The Record, which noted that their owners had adjusted their business models to remain competitive. Among the changes mentioned were an increase in author events, the addition of digital reading options, and consulting services offered to school districts.

The Record noted that Books Bytes & Beyond in Glen Rock works with publishers to bring authors into the schools and also advises districts on how to bring in books that will fit into the new Common Core education system.

“Bookstores need to study their past and analyze it thoroughly,” said owner Mary L. Brown. “We asked ourselves how we could service the people we are close with better.”