Around Indies

Horton’s Books & Gifts Marks 125 Years

Horton’s Books & Gifts in Carrolton, Georgia, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year with a customized banner above the front door proclaiming, “Georgia’s oldest bookstore.”

The bookstore was established in 1891 by Newton Allen Horton and is now owned by Dorothy Pittman. Bookstore cats Mayah, Poe, and Dante are a favorite of customers.

The shop has moved to various locations over the years, but is now housed in its original building. The antique shelves and displays showcase new books, gifts, and periodicals, and the store recently began offering sewing classes and a crochet club.

Briar Patch Owner to Pass the Torch

Cathy Anderson, the longtime owner of The Briar Patch children’s book and toy store in Bangor, Maine, will soon be retiring, reported Bangor Daily News. The store will be purchased by Bangor resident Gibran Graham, who has worked at the store for five years and also sits on the local city council.

“I’m in my mid-60s. My husband has been retired for several years, and we have other things to do,” said Anderson, who has owned the store for 21 years. “I just don’t have the energy for it anymore. I used to be able to say I had read about 75 percent of what was in the store, but now there are so many new books out there I have to rely on book reviews and the recommendations of the sales representatives when I order. I can’t keep up with it.”

Anderson plans to help Graham with the purchase of the business and its inventory.

“There’s a sense of happiness that comes with this business. It’s not just about the income,” said Graham. “Happiness is at least half the payback.”

An Unlikely Story Wins Design Awards

An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe, the Plainville, Massachusetts, shop owned by Wimpy Kid series author Jeff Kinney, has won three design awards from the Association for Retail Environments. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Las Vegas on March 22.

The bookstore earned the Silver Award for Specialty Store Design, as well as an award in Sustainability, for being a LEED certified building, and in Flooring, for its reclaimed factory wood floors.

“We are thrilled that an indie bookstore is among the national retailers, chain restaurants, and popular grocery stores recognized with this year’s awards,” said Donna Paz Kaufman of bookstore training group Paz & Associates, which worked with architectural firm Bergmeyer Associates on designing the store. “The lineup of award recipients proves that creativity goes a long way to delivering a unique and memorable experience that you just can’t get when shopping online.”

The winning projects will be featured in the Association for Retail Environments’ 2016 Design Awards Winners Book.

Afterwords Books Hosts Route 66 Info Stop

Edwardsville, Illinois’ Afterwords Books, on old Route 66, is now an information stop for tourists travelling the historic highway, reported the Intelligencer.

Owner Luann Locke is working with Cindy Reinhardt, an associate member of the Historic Preservation Committee, to encourage tourists to explore Edwardsville by offering bookstore visitors information about area attractions.

“Luann has given us an area in her bookstore to display information about Edwardsville,” Reinhardt said. “This is a place that tourists can stop and learn about our shops, restaurants, museums, hotels and historic districts.”

Visitors can also browse a coffee table book about the former inn that houses the bookstore.