Around Indies

Greenlight Bookstore Plans Literary/Culinary Event With Indies Introduce Author

For its upcoming Book/Plate literary and culinary event on July 19, Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, New York, is inviting readers to escape to Greece with a meal inspired by Annie Liontas’ Let Me Explain You (Scribner), a Summer/Fall 2015 Indies Introduce title for adults.

Liontas’ book, which was selected by a committee of booksellers (including Greenlight co-owner Jessica Stockton Bagnulo) as a top debut for the season, follows Greek immigrant Stavros Stavros Mavrakis, owner of the Gala Diner, who believes he has just 10 days left to live and makes it his mission to show his children everything they have done wrong in life.

Working with the author, Peck’s Homemade, a neighborhood specialty market, has prepared a menu of souvlaki lamb sausage, spanakopita, galaktoboureko, and more for Sunday evening’s outdoor picnic, where author Liontas will greet and mingle with attendees. A copy of the book is included in the ticket purchase.

Bound & Loose Leaf Opens in Ohio

Tea room and bookstore Bound & Loose Leaf opened at 100 Front Street in New Richmond, Ohio, on July 4 under the ownership of Cecilia Krusling and daughters Jamie and Regina, reported the Clermont Sun.

“Everyone that I’ve talked to in New Richmond is really excited that we’re here,” said Regina Krusling. “People have had nothing but positive things to say. The community here is really warm and welcoming.”

The family purchased the bookstore’s building earlier this year and renovated the interior to create a cozy space for diners and readers to enjoy tea, sandwiches, soups, salads, and a selection of new and used books. “From the beginning, selling books was part of our business plan,” Krusling said.

The shop also offers a traditional high tea, served any time, which comes with tea and multiple courses of food. “We do an Americanized version of high tea,” said Krusling. “We serve a fruit cup, a specialty tea sandwich like cucumber or smaller portions of one of the sandwiches on our menu, an entrée, and dessert.”

The Little Read Book Marks 30 Years

Since its opening 30 years ago in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, The Little Read Book has become a fixture for generations of residents in the community, Wauwatosa Now reported.

“We were once selling to young adults and their families,” owner Linda Burg said. “Now those young adults we once sold to have grandchildren we sell to. I’ve been so busy day-to-day, but if I stop and think about it, staying in business for 30 years is an accomplishment.”

Business has grown over the years, Burg said, despite some downturns in which the bookstore struggled and she had to invest her own funds to keep it afloat. But Burg followed her passion; four years into business, the bookstore moved to a bigger location, and it now offers toys and gifts in addition to books.

“I obviously did something right, but I have to say, I probably did it all wrong when I first started,” said Burg. “I’m sure I didn’t follow any of the rules you are supposed to follow, but I kept at it, and it came together and worked.”

Diane’s Books Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Diane Garrett moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, with her husband and three children in the 1980s, and shortly thereafter opened Diane’s Books, which is now marking its 25th anniversary, reported the Greenwich Sentinel.

“I wanted the whole family to read,” Garrett told the newspaper. “We can’t raise lifelong readers unless everybody’s reading in the family. I feel very strongly about that. I didn’t know I could do both things equally well, but it was very important to me.”

Since its 1990 opening, the bookstore has expanded three times and now offers e-books for sale online, but the shop has remained solely focused on books, said Garrett. “We don’t have sidelines. We don’t have coffee. We only focus on getting everybody the right book and caring about them.”

Earlier this year, Diane’s Books was awarded with the Malcolm S. Pray Excellence in Business Award from the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.

“We just want every day to be the best we can be and the kindest we can be — to keep dancing and smiling and laughing and having fun,” said Garrett.

Read Between the Lynes to Relocate

This fall, Read Between the Lynes will be moving to a larger location just a couple hundred feet away in downtown Woodstock, Illinois, reported the Northwest Herald. The new space, nearly double the size of its current shop, will allow the bookstore to expand its children’s and young adult sections, as well as host book clubs and authors in a separate meeting room.

“We are extremely excited [about] how the new space will allow us to offer additional services to our dedicated and loyal clientele,” owner Arlene Lynes said. “We’ve been listening for years now to what people are looking for from us and are thrilled to offer it.”

Lynes plans to reopen the bookstore in its new digs on October 1 with new offerings including coffee, ice cream, candy, and gourmet food.