Around Indies

Make Way for Ducklings Storytime Store to Open at Faneuil Hall

Adam and Jamie Hirsch, the co-owners of the Curious George Store in Harvard Square, will open Make Way for Ducklings Storytime Store in Boston’s Faneuil Hall area this fall. The new store will celebrate the classic children’s book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (Puffin) and other internationally recognized children’s books whose authors have ties to Boston, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Putnam) by Eric Carle, Busytown books by Richard Scarry (Golden Books/Random House), Curious George books by H.A. & Margret Rey (Houghton Mifflin), and Dr. Seuss books (Random House).

Inventory will include a unique selection of books, toys, and specialty gift items. “We look forward to welcoming local families and those visiting the Boston area to experience our fun, interactive, one of a kind destination store in Faneuil Hall,” said Adam Hirsch.

Candlewick Press, Porter Square Bring Kids’ Books to Farmer’s Market

Candlewick Press and Cambridge’s Porter Square Books have come together to provide the Davis Square farmer’s market in Somerville, Massachusetts, with a children’s bookstand. The stand opened on August 20 and will sell books on September 10 and 24, and on October 1, 8, and 15.

“Somerville and Cambridge are vibrant communities with a strong sense of the value of shopping locally. This partnership helps us be another one of the many threads stitching our community together,” said Josh Cook, Porter Square’s marketing director.

Each week’s featured books will be chosen around a theme. The theme for August 20 was Farms and Food, and titles included Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick Press), and I Will Never Not Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child (Orchard Books/Candlewick Press).

Knoxville’s Union Avenue Books Thrives

Flossie McNabb and Bunnie Presswood’s Union Avenue Books is thriving in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, three years after its opening, despite competition from chain stores and online retailers, the Memphis Daily News reported. The bookstore, which hosts author events and book club meetings, offers an inventory that is decidedly literary and less commercial.

“You’re not seeing what you see in Kroger’s. You’re seeing a more interesting variety,” McNabb told the Daily News. Regional selections and the classics are also an important part of the store’s offerings.

The business is located in a shopping area where there is a lot of available parking and foot traffic, but McNabb and Presswood go out of their way to make purchasing a book easy for customers. Some customers will call ahead with a credit card or a staff member will run the book to the street when the customer drives up, according to the newspaper. Delivery is also available.