DIESEL Larkspur Opens

Last Friday, John Evans and Alison Reid launched their fourth store, DIESEL, A Bookstore in Larkspur, California. The newest DIESEL is across the street from the Larkspur-San Francisco ferry terminal, in the Marin Country Mart, an open-air shopping mall renovated by developer James Rosenfield.

The 2,800-square-foot bookstore features knotty pine walls, a wood ceiling, a reddish cork floor, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases. In May, Evans told BTW that the store’s opening inventory would feature titles from the Indie Bestseller Lists, literary fiction, and general interest titles, but that would evolve based on customer input.

DIESEL’s other locations are in Oakland, Malibu, and Brentwood, California.

Fireside Finds a Better Fit

Fireside Books & Gifts has moved from Forest City to Shelby, North Carolina, reported the Shelby Star.

“We just saw a thriving opportunity here in Shelby,” co-owner Linda Parks told the paper. “We thought we would be a much better fit here.”

Fireside Books & Gifts, a general bookstore with a large children’s section, also offers customers an in-store café and an array of toy and gifts. Parks plans to host many events in the new space, including author appearances, storytimes, wine and beer tastings, and book clubs.

“We want to be the kind of store that is very inviting,” said Marc Milot, who owns the store with Parks. “This is a place that offers coffee, a place to sit and read, and free WiFi to enjoy the atmosphere.” 

Bookbound to Open in Ann Arbor

Indie bookstores are a growing business niche in Ann Arbor, according to Deadline Detroit. Hilary Lowe and Mike Gustafson opened Literati Bookstore in April, and Megan and Peter Blackshear have announced plans to open Bookbound later this summer.

“Independent bookstores, especially ones where the owner is on the premises, can connect to customers much better than the big stores could,” Blackshear said. “That really makes a difference.”

The two stores plan to have a symbiotic relationship with each other, as they will both contribute to the area’s literary offerings.

“We’ve been doing well, and I’m excited that Bookbound is going to be here now too,” Lowe said. “I think it’s going to be great and it will add even more to the book culture we have in Ann Arbor.”

The town is also home to Nicola’s Books on the west side and Aunt Agatha’s downtown.    

The Book House Eyes Move to Maplewood

The Book House, which must move out of its St. Louis’ Rock Hill neighborhood by the end of July, is negotiating a lease for a location in Maplewood that would capture the essence of the Book House and allow it to expand, said owner Michelle Barron.

“We want a storefront, Barron told Maplewood-Brentwood Patch. “We don’t want to operate out of a warehouse, that’s not the future of bookstores. We want a place that people will want to come to.”