Last Friday, Hudson, Ohio’s The Learned Owl Book Shop changed hands. After 30 years at the helm, Liz Murphy sold the business to store staff member Kate Schlademan, who assured the community that Learned Owl will continue to be the same great place.

Maine’s Longfellow Books, which sustained serious water damage after a frozen water line burst during last weekend’s snowstorm, plans a soft reopening today. Meanwhile, many other stores around the region were able to reopen for at least part of the day on Sunday.

Three Buyers in the running for Quail Ridge; Book Tavern secures bigger space; The Book Den celebrates 80 years

Busboys and Poets celebrates new bookstore; Duck’s Cottage hosts pre-Valentine’s Day event; Books on Broad’s Funderburk expresses love of books

From February 25 to March 1, Los Angeles’ Skylight Books will be operating two offsite stores as part of the spring 2013 TED Conference entitled “The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.”

From craft making and speed dating to gift baskets and the perfect book, indie booksellers will be part of Valentine’s Day, one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year. Last year, the National Retail Federation estimated spending at an all-time high of at least $17.6 billion

ABA welcomed 43 indie bookstores that opened in 2012 in 25 states. Among them were six branches of existing businesses and seven selling primarily used books. California is home to seven new stores; New York, five; Florida and Texas, three; and Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, two.

Reston’s celebrates 35 years; Five Stone Bookstore opens Five Stone Kids; New owner takes over That Bookstore in Blytheville

In February, the Queen Anne Book Company will open its doors to the residents of Seattle’s  Queen Anne neighborhood, which has been without an independent bookstore since Queen Anne Books closed in October of last year.

Brooklyn, New York’s WORD is slated to open a branch store in Jersey City, New Jersey, by late spring/early summer.