Northshire Named PW's Bookseller of the Year; Gates Rep of the Year

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, has won the 14th annual Bookseller of the Year Award from Publishers Weekly. The bookstore celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is owned by Ed and Barbara Morrow. PW reported that the store was nominated by Random House rep Rebecca Fitting, who said, "[Northshire's owners] have cultivated a lively event program and network with their community in such a way that integrates them with their surroundings. And they are among some of the most passionate readers and handsellers that I've worked with."

"This recognition is very welcome icing on the cake of our 30th anniversary celebration," Ed Morrow told BTW. "Recognition from within the business -- from those who really know what bookselling is all about -- is comforting indeed, for we all know that it takes a broad-spectrum community to create and maintain a good bookstore. A staff of knowledgeable, dedicated booksellers constantly handselling, publishers reps continually tending to our book knowledge base, a strong community of customers offering advice and steady support, and a network of smart and giving booksellers who share survival strategies and best practices -- all of this and more is responsible for what the Northshire is today."

Morrow, who is a former president of the American Booksellers Association, concluded, "Barbara and I and Chris [his son and general manager of the store] are very grateful to be playing a role, and to be able to carry the Bookseller of Year Banner in 2006."

PW awarded its Rep of the Year honor to Mark Gates of Holtzbrinck. Gates, who works out of Verona, Wisconsin, was nominated by at least a half-dozen booksellers, according to PW, which reported that Daniel Goldin of Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops in Milwaukee said of Gates, "Mark is a consummate professional who understands the many markets for books and finds every possible sales opportunity for each title in his catalog."

The awards will be presented at this year's BookExpo America. --Karen Schechner