Around Indies

The Book Shop Marks 50 Years

The Book Shop, a used bookstore in Hayward, California, recently reached its 50th birthday. The store is on its third set of owners: Carl and Marilyn Baker-Madsen and Sherman and Alison Lewis bought the bookstore last summer. The store was founded by Ken and Virginia MacKenzie, and previously owned by Hank Maschal.

Bookseller Renee Rettig described the store's appeal in the San Jose Mercury News: "People push other things on other corners of the block. We push books, and that's not illegal," she said. "It's a meeting place. Where else can people from all walks of life come and be equal?"

Newspaper Agrees 25 Years for Magic Tree Is "What's Important"

The Oak Park, Illinois, Wednesday Journal published a community view column by Victor Yipp celebrating the 25th anniversary of Magic Tree Bookstore. His wife, Iris Yipp, and Rose Joseph are the store's owners.

In his column, "What's important: indie bookstores," Yipp explained why Magic Tree is so important to its community: "They compiled a diverse collection of children's titles that cannot be matched in the Midwest, never mind their chain-store competitors. Their foreign language selection is second to none. They sell books the old-fashioned way -- hand-selling by committed employees who read and review the books they recommend -- while also maintaining a highly active presence on the Web. The store serves as a community hub by holding weekly story times for preschoolers, in-store concerts, book clubs, writing workshops and, of course, author visits and signings," he wrote.

In the column's comments section, Lori Malinski agreed: "We hope Magic Tree is around for a long, long, time!" she wrote.

Powell's Focuses on Used Books for Earth Day

Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, has long been noted for selling used copies of books next to new copies. Owner Michael Powell said he was skeptical when his father proposed blending the store's new and used inventory 40 years ago, but it "had synergy way beyond what we expected."

In honor of Earth Day, Powell's and Powells.com customers will receive a free tote bag when they buy three or more used books. The promotion runs from April 20 to 22. "Customers can sustain the environment and their wallets by reading used books," the store said in a press release.

Greenlight Books Co-Owner Goes Full-Time

Six months after she opened Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, New York, with Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Rebecca Fitting is becoming a full-time bookseller. She had been working at the bookstore in addition to her day job as a sales representative for Random House.

"I am looking forward to putting my years of industry experience to good use," Fitting said. "I think of my path as 'reverting to type,' because I started in bookstores, then went to work for a publisher for 10 years, and now am coming back to bookselling, which has always felt like my true calling."