About Bookstores

In 1985, when Linda Rolczynski and her then-partner Donna Flint opened Lindon Bookstore in Enumclaw, Washington, Rolczynski had plenty of experience tending her flock of sheep, but none relating to bookselling. With Lindon's 20th anniversary just a little over a year away, Rolczynski talked with BTW about the evolution of her store.

January was a very good month for many retailers, according to an Associated Press story in the February 6 edition of the Seattle Times, which reported that last month's robust sales at many retailers around the country were well above expectations and could be an early indicator of a consumer spending recovery. The article noted that analysts point to the redemption of gift cards purchased during the holiday season as one spur to sales in a month many consider to be the least important in the retail sales calendar.

By Len Vlahos

On Monday, February 9, ABA Communications Manager Kristen Gilligan and BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos set out on a weeklong tour of East Coast bookstores. Here's a report on their final two days on the road. To read about the first three days of their journey, click here.

Day 4 -- February 12
Triad to Research Triangle

Passengers on American Airlines flights during the month of February who pick up the airline's publication, American Way, will discover a feature article by Chris Tucker entitled "Book Tour -- The conventional wisdom is wrong: Real bookstores are not dead."

"As a youngster I knew I wanted to own a small retail store in a small community near the ocean," said brand-new bookseller Joel Crockett. By his teens he refined his business plan to include a bookstore.

"As a youngster I knew I wanted to own a small retail store in a small community near the ocean," said brand-new bookseller Joel Crockett. By his teens he refined his business plan to include a bookstore.

As BTW went to press, it appears that Ruminator Books' major creditor, Macalester College, will be giving the St. Paul, Minnesota, bookstore one more month to raise $500,000 of the more than $1 million it owes the college. The extension of the deadline for Ruminator's closing to the end of February comes as a result of the store's receiving an undisclosed amount of financial support from an anonymous investor.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati

While Pete Rose's baseball career is shrouded in controversy, and he recently admitted to betting on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds, Rose is as popular as ever in Cincinnati.

In late January 2000, a deadly fire ripped through the small downtown of St. Johnsbury, Vermont: three men were killed, one building was burned to the ground, another building was severely damaged, two major businesses were destroyed, and another five were ruined or had to shut down, including a popular independent bookstore, Northern Lights Bookshop & Cafe, which lost its entire inventory due to smoke and water damage.

This past summer in Richland Center, Wisconsin, Jodee Hosmanek was contemplating a career change. She wanted to leave her position as a high school chemistry and biology teacher, but didn't have a game plan. On August 17, she decided she was going to pursue her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore. By August 27, she had bought the building to house it.

Bookstore owner Dave Simpson may own the oldest bookstore in Contra Costa County, California, but just recently, he's also become owner of three of the newest bookstores in the region. Simpson, who purchased the Lafayette Book Store six years ago, opened three more bookstores in the past four months: The Danville Book Store, opened in September; the Lafayette Used Book Store, opened in October; and the Pleasant Hill Book Store, opened in November.

A number of independent booksellers across the country reported sales gains this holiday season, reversing last year's trend. In areas of the country where unemployment rates remain high, holiday sales were down slightly from the previous year, but better than booksellers' expectations.

Macalester College, a major creditor of Ruminator Books in St. Paul, Minnesota, has given the 33-year-old store an ultimatum -- Ruminator must raise $500,000 by January 31 or close its doors and surrender its assets to the college. Ruminator's debt to the school now exceeds $600,000, according to the bookstore's stock offering Disclosure Document.

Thirteen-year-old Canterbury Booksellers in Madison, Wisconsin, recently announced it will be closing on February 29, and Madison's Avol's Book Store, which sells used and scholarly books, will take over its location and reopen on March 1 under the name Avol's Books at Canterbury. Avol's has already begun moving inventory into various sections of the store as Canterbury sells its own stock at a discount. During the transition both stores will be operating out of Canterbury, and the original Avol's will also stay open until February 29.