By Maret Orliss, Vroman’s Bookstore

Vroman’s has always been a big supporter of the Book Sense program. Through BookSense.com, the gift certificate program, and the Book Sense 76 list, Book Sense is an effective marketing program and a terrific way of promoting that independent bookstores, while unique, also share a common connection.

Earlier this month, Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, and Eight Cousins in Falmouth, Massachusetts, were named by the Women's National Book Association (WNBA) as the 2002 winners of Lucile Micheels Pannell Awards, for general bookstore and children's specialty store, respectively.

Soon after the Book Sense 76 list debuted, Shirley Muller, owner of Bay Books of Coronado, California, had an idea about how to drive local traffic into her store. She began imprinting 10,000 copies of each new Book Sense 76 list with the Bay Books name and address and had it inserted in the local weekly newspaper, the Coronado Eagle and Journal. Muller continues to promote her store with the 76 to this day. "I noticed people coming in with the list marked, already checked -- they get it at home and they read it," she said.

Snow Goose Bookstore, "The Goose," of Stanwood, Washington, moved to a larger space on Saturday, March 30 -- and, with help from the community, they were open and ready for business by Monday morning, April 1.

Caren Lobo, owner with her husband, Richard, of Sarasota News & Books in Sarasota, Florida, supplied BTW with some possible headlines for the story of the store's massive flood on Wednesday, March 27, "How about 'Sarasota News & Books Gives New Meaning to Waterfront Property,' or 'Sarasota Book Store: Newest Snorkeling Destination'?"

On March 9, Book Passage, www.bookpassage.com, in Corte Madera, California turned 25. This general-interest bookstore, noted for its author events, classes, conferences, and extensive travel books section, hosted a day of free, festive activities. The theme was "A Day of Storytelling" and top Bay Area writers participated in the celebration.

Ruminator Books, the venerable St. Paul bookstore, now with a Minneapolis location as well, was an original participant in the Book Sense program. It also signed on to BookSense.com when that became an option.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard Book Store has won the prestigious 2002 Bookseller of the Year Award from Publisher’s Weekly. "We are overjoyed," said Frank Kramer, owner of the Harvard Book Store. "We work very hard. To get this recognition is very gratifying."

Six months after the September 11 terrorist attack, travelers are finally venturing back into the skies. But are they venturing back into the specialty travel bookstores? "Yes," store owners told BTW, but not in the same way. Missing are sales growth numbers, and customer buying habits have changed.

Olsson’s Books and Records recently delivered approximately 2,000 books and $1,200 in gift certificates to three Washington, D.C., schools directly affected by the terrorist strikes of September 11. The donations were the result of a book drive held by Olsson’s between October and December.