Around Indies

Quail Ridge Books to Relocate in 2016

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Quail Ridge Books & Music is planning to move to the city’s North Hills Shopping Center in the spring of 2016, about five miles away from its current location at Ridgewood Shopping Center.

Store founder Nancy Olson said in an announcement on Wednesday, “I’m so pleased that the Quail Ridge Books’ tradition of quality books and great service will continue in an exciting new space. This is a great opportunity for growing the store’s customer base of passionate readers.”

Margaret Maron, author and longtime friend of Quail Ridge, called the bookstore “my lifeline of support and friendship—from the owners down to the newest sales clerk. Selfishly, I shall miss having QRB on Wade Avenue, but I’m sure my car will soon learn the way to North Hills.”

The store will vacate Ridgewood in mid-March and open at North Hills in the beginning of April.

One Grand Opens Permanent Shop in the Catskills

One Grand Books, which started as a pop-up shop in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport over the summer, celebrated the grand opening of its permanent location in Narrowsburg, New York, on December 5, reported the New York Times. The store is owned by Aaron Hicklin, the editor-in-chief of Out magazine and founder of the editorial agency Grand Editorial.

The shelves in the 550-square-foot shop feature titles on the “Desert Island” book lists of 100 notable figures and celebrities, from Tilda Swinton to Lena Dunham to Ta-Nehisi Coates, who have each chosen 10 books they couldn’t do without on a deserted island.

“I approach people who, I think, practice their craft really well,” Hicklin told the Times. “They’re not celebrities so much as celebrated individuals who do what they do excellently. The books are a reflection of their development and their evolution. But they’re also just great recommendations.”

A new desert island list will be shared weekly on the store’s website, and a new set of books will rotate into stock in the store every two weeks. Hicklin is also planning to host literary salons in the shop and on a barge in the nearby Delaware River, as well as a “Desert Island Books” podcast.

“I’m running this store out of completely selfish motivation,” said Hicklin. “I get the benefit from being surrounded by books in this beautiful location, engaging with people in an environment that I create and that reflects my sensibility.”

Parnassus Books Plans Expansion

Nashville, Tennessee’s Parnassus Books will expand its storefront into an adjacent retail space next year, reported the Tennessean. Co-owners Karen Hayes and bestselling author Ann Patchett opened the bookstore in 2011 in the Hillsboro Plaza Shopping Center.

The bookstore will knock down an interior wall to take over a 2,900-square-foot space formerly occupied by Pickles & Ice Cream, a maternity clothing store, bringing the bookstore’s footprint to 5,000 square feet in total.

“It’s (a space) we can use and it will work really well for us. We’re still not the huge store, the superstores that are having such trouble nowadays. We’ll still be a reasonable size,” Hayes said.

The new space will allow more room for events, books, and administrative areas. The project is set for the first quarter of 2016.

St. Mark’s GoFundMe Campaign Underway

On December 1, St. Mark’s Bookshop, which just celebrated its 38th anniversary, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $150,000 to go toward restocking the store.

The New York City bookstore relocated within its East Village neighborhood last year due to rising rents, but cost overruns from the move have affected business in the new location.

In return for contributions, donors will receive lifetime discounts, starting with a five percent discount for those donating $25 and going up to a 25 percent lifetime discount for those donating $5,000 or more.

Phoenix Books Launches Annual Food Drive

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch made appearances at Phoenix Books’ locations in Rutland, Essex, and Burlington, Vermont, on December 5–6, in conjunction with the launch of the stores’ annual food drive to benefit local food pantries. The event brought out nearly 600 customers who were encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item when they came to meet the Grinch, take photos, and do crafts.

The food drive continues through December at all three locations, and Phoenix Books owner Mike DeSanto has pledged to match the donations of community members with a monetary donation.

“There’s no one like the Grinch to bring out your holiday spirit and help you grow your heart three sizes!” said Kristen Eaton, marketing and events manager for Phoenix Books, who added that the Grinch was more of a hit than Santa.