Around Indies

Let’s Play Books in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, has announced its grand reopening, scheduled for September 15–16. It will celebrate the renovation of all three floors of the store, which now house expanded adult fiction and YA sections, a Ju-Ju Monkey baby/toddler room, a middle grade room, and a “Community Cattic,” which is the store’s events space.

Neverending Bookshop will be moving its storefront from Bothell, Washington, to a new location in Edmonds, Washington.

Paz and Associates wrapped up a “Bookstore Boot Camp” over Labor Day weekend, which featured a cohort of current and future booksellers from around the country, including Tanya Mills of the Book Bungalow in St. George, Utah, and Kathy Bumette of The Brain Lair in South Bend, Indiana.

The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, New York, will celebrate its 40th birthday on September 15.

Kelly Contello will take over as owner of The Lift in Houston, Texas.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers has appointed Adam Miller as its new president and chief executive officer. “I am honored and excited to have been chosen to lead Joseph-Beth Booksellers,” Miller said. “The opportunity ahead for Joseph-Beth is significant. To seize it, we will focus clearly on our customers and communities, our products, move fast to innovate and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to innovate and personalize our brand experience, while positioning our vision and strategy to meet and exceed the changing landscape of the retail industry.”

Third Place Books has reorganized its events team: Sam Kaas is now author events manager, Kalani Kapahua is offsite events manager, and Niki Marion is children’s book outreach manager.

At BookBar in Denver, Abbey Paxton is now buyer/inventory manager; Erin Mazza has been promoted to book manager from assistant manager; and Kateri Kramer, who previously worked at BookBar in 2017, has returned as marketing and events manager.

I AM Books in Boston, Massachusetts, is organizing IDEA Boston, an Italian-inspired festival of books, authors, and culture. “IDEA Boston represents what we do at the bookstore day in and day out,” said store co-founder Nicola Orichuia. “We offer culture through our books but also organize events on a weekly basis. We thought it was time to create a bigger event where we could highlight some of the best authors and most inspiring topics we came across over the years.”

Phoenix Books is partnering with the League of Women Voters to celebrate National Voter Registration Day on September 25. The store will help community members register to vote at its Burlington, Essex, Rutland, and Misty Valley locations. “Phoenix Books is proud to be partnering with the League of Women Voters to help get Vermonters registered to vote. We all know voting is important. It’s how communities express themselves, and in order to do that, we must register to vote,” said Phoenix Books owner Mike DeSanto.

Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro, Vermont, is donating books to the Brattleboro Police Department for individuals who spend the night in jail.

Dav Pilkey at BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Bookmarks hosted Dav Pilkey at BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Friday, September 7. Each of the nearly 2,500 children in attendance went home with a superhero cape and a free copy of Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (Graphix).

Budget Travel cited The French Library, Literati, Harvard Book Store, Alabama Booksmith, Laguna Beach Books, BookBar, and Birchbark Books as seven unique bookstores in the U.S.

Share your news in Around Indies! E-mail [email protected] with photos and details of what’s new at your store, whether it’s opening for business, moving to a new location, expanding, changing ownership, hosting a special event, or celebrating a milestone anniversary.