Around Indies

Suzy Staubach to Leave UConn Co-op

Suzy Staubach has announced that she will be leaving Storrs, Connecticut’s UConn Co-op this summer to spend more time on her writing and pottery as well as with family and friends. She will be succeeded by Bob Smith, who has been with the bookstore since 2012 and was previously with Curbstone Press.

In a letter to faculty, Staubach wrote, “With everyone’s help, we have created a lively bookstore, a cultural hub. Our shelves are filled with ideas and wisdom and knowledge. I think of the authors who have read for us, the music we have been able to host, the art we’ve shown, and I smile. I hope you do too. How fortunate we have all been.”

Over her years at UConn Co-op, Staubach has worked as a bookseller, as the manager of the general books division, and as the manager of the bookstore at Storrs Center. She has also served as vice president of the American Booksellers Association, president of the New England Independent Booksellers Association, and on the boards of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the Independent Booksellers Consortium. In 2008, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in Service to the Literary Community by the Connecticut Center for the Book.

The author of four books, Staubach is currently working on a book about sunken gardens. She is the owner of Willow Tree Pottery in Ashford, Connecticut, and a member of Artists Open Studios of Northeastern Connecticut. Staubach also plans to continue in her role as co-chair of the Connecticut Children’s Book Fair.

Maine Coast Book Shop & Café on the Market

In Damariscotta, Maine, longtime owner Susan Porter is looking to sell Maine Coast Book Shop & Café as she plans for retirement.

“Over the years, this community has been amazingly and gratifyingly supportive of the bookshop. Damariscotta is truly a magic town, warm, friendly, and where our fellow businesses up and down Main Street have become almost like family,” said Porter. “I am being very careful to find someone who is passionate about books and bookselling, and who has the talent and enthusiasm to keep this place going for many years to come.”

The 50-year-old, 6,000-square-foot bookstore is located in the historic Lincoln Hall storefront on Main Street, below the Lincoln Theater. It serves daily regulars, as well as year-round visitors to the area, and features outdoor tables and chairs as part of its café. Fifty percent ownership of the historic building will be included in the transition.

Sale of the store is being handled by Ridge Hill Partners.

Literary Hub Highlights Parnassus, Brazos

Literary Hub features an independent bookstore each week in its “Interview With a Bookstore” column.

This week, Parnassus Books co-owner Karen Hayes, who opened the Nashville, Tennessee, bookstore with author Ann Patchett in 2011, shared with Literary Hub her favorite section of the bookstore, the bookstore’s strangest regulars, and her memories of the bookstore’s opening day, among other insights.

“I know we love what we do,” said Hayes. “And I know we might be a little unusual: not only do we have lovely human booksellers, but we have canines on staff! Our shop dogs are very cute, and everyone loves being able to bring their dogs to work, but more than that, I think they add to our friendly atmosphere… Books and puppies, you can’t go wrong.”

Last week, Brazos Bookstore’s Benjamin Rybeck talked to Literary Hub about what the Houston, Texas, bookshop does better than any other bookstore.

“Any successful bookstore reflects its community — and we certainly reflect our community in Houston — but bookstores also have to do what Amazon can’t do: they have to provide personal interactions with knowledgeable employees who hold very particular opinions (imagine more pleasant — or at least soft-spoken — versions of the folks in High Fidelity),” said Rybeck.