Around Indies

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Here’s what’s happening in the world of indie bookstores this week:

Cindy Hulsey, co-founder of Magic City Books and the Tulsa Literary Coalition, died on September 19 due to a terminal illness.

Bookie's New and Used Books in Homewood, Illinois
Bookie's New and Used Books in Homewood, Illinois

Bookie’s New and Used Books celebrated the grand opening of its second location, in Homewood, Illinois, on September 21.

This November, The Next Chapter Café is scheduled to open in the vacant restaurant space in Northshire Bookstore’s Manchester Center, Vermont, location.

Empire Books & News, with locations in Pullman, Ashland, and Lexington, Kentucky, will be rebranded as The Inner Geek after being purchased by local business Geek Inc. earlier this year.

Last week, the bungalow that Second Star to the Right children’s bookstore in Denver, Colorado, was previously housed in sold for $900,000. Store owners Marc and Dea Lavoie plan to move their business to 1545 S. Pearl St. in Denver, Colorado.

The Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio, celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 23.

The Steady Collective and Firestorm Books & Coffee have filed formal appeals against notices issued by the City of Asheville, North Carolina, that claimed the two organizations operated an unpermitted needle exchange program in West Asheville. Firestorm Books & Coffee has worked with The Steady Collective since 2016 to provide space for weekly 150-minute outreach and educational events regarding opioid drug overdoses.

Vania Elliot of Bookmarks
Vania Elliot of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, North Carolina, will be working with the Greensboro Bound Literary Festival to present “Immigration Stories,” a program that will explore the immigration and refugee experience through fiction, non-fiction, and works for children.

Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, named Vania Elliot as Employee of the Quarter. “She always makes sure that everyone who walks through our door feels welcome and leaves with just the right a book in their hands,” said Community Outreach and Bookstore Manager Beth Seufer Buss. “Above all, Vania is a compassionate and caring person. Her regard for her fellow employees and for readers continues to make Bookmarks a wonderful place to be.”

John Evans of Diesel, A Bookstore in Santa Monica, California, was interviewed on Vik Singh’s podcast, Bookstories.

Nineteen indie bookstores in upstate New York will participate in this year’s Fall into Books! Bookshop Tour. Participating stores included Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, Lift Bridge Book Shop in Rockport, and the river’s end in Oswego.

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