Around Indies

Once Upon a Time to Celebrate Algorithm Alternative Day

Montrose, California’s Once Upon a Time bookstore will be celebrating Algorithm Alternative Day (A.A.D.) on July 15, 2015. The event is the children’s bookstore’s answer to Amazon’s Prime Day for subscription customers, which is being held the same day.

In 1,000 square feet of retail space, Once Upon a Time will be offering numerous storytimes (including, among others, a nature storytime at Montrose Park and pajama storytime), treats (including doggy biscuits), and other fare, all from a “real, live person.”

During extended hours (from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.), customers will be able to enjoy crosswords, activity and jigsaw puzzles, and a free photo booth where they can have a picture taken with their favorite book. Early bird shoppers will be offered discounts ranging from 10 to 25 percent, and frequent buyer customers will receive a free flower from a “live” bookseller. Surprise guests will also be stopping in throughout the day.

“I don’t need an algorithm to recommend these books — I actually read and love them,” said Once Upon a Time bookseller Pete Simpson.

The store, which is owned by Maureen Palacios, is the winner of the 2015 Pannell Award in the children’s specialty category.

Papercuts J.P. a Favorite of Boston

Seven months since its opening on November 29, 2014 (Small Business Saturday), Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts’ Papercuts J.P. is thriving, reported Jamaica Plain News. The bookstore has also just been named Boston’s Best Book Nook by Improper Bostonian.

Hoping to create a place for shoppers to discover unique and midlist titles, owner Kate Layte spent two years planning the store. Layte, who previously worked for Little, Brown and Company and Borders, talked with colleagues in publishing and worked with mentors from SCORE, which offers small business resources to entrepreneurs.

To stock Papercuts’ shelves, Layte looks to local titles as much as possible, she said. Store inventory currently features a recent book by students from Boston International Newcomers School produced through 826 Boston, as well as modern fiction, women writers, writers from diverse backgrounds, and translations.

As for online competitors, Layte is unconcerned. “You can’t discover books online,” she said. “In general, sure, people are going to go to Amazon. But there are a lot of books out there that you can’t find on Amazon. I don’t sell the classics. I don’t have Charles Dickens. You can find that anywhere.”

Firestorm Café & Books Reopens

On July 3, Firestorm Café & Books reopened in Asheville, North Carolina, after closing down in April 2014 to relocate and revise the cooperative bookstore’s mission, reported Mountain Xpress. The official grand reopening celebration will be held July 12 and will feature free coffee, giveaways, and readings by local authors. Worker-owner Lauren Lockamy said some final touches are needed before the opening, including the installation of additional shelving and artwork, and the delivery of a piano.

A successful crowdfunding campaign contributed to the purchase of a new storefront, at 601 Haywood Road in Asheville, plus the subsequent renovation. Firestorm’s vegan coffee and tea bar offers specialty beverages and baked goods, and the bookstore half of the shop carries a variety of titles on gardening, green living, and political radicalism, as well as classics and children’s titles.

“Firestorm has always been a labor of love,” said worker-owner Libertie Valance. “None of us are really doing it for the paycheck. We’re [here] for the right reasons. I didn’t go into Firestorm trying to find a place of fulfillment in my work, but that’s kind of what it became.”

Joe’s Place Finds a Home in Greenville

Since its opening in March 2014, Joe’s Place, a used bookstore and wine bar in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, has made its name as a community gathering place for authors and readers alike, Greenville Online reported.

Owners Mary and Alix Bernard always hoped to own a business together, though Mary said she never thought it would be a bookstore. The couple found inspiration during a visit to Asheville’s Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar, then attended a workshop with The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates to learn the full scope of owning and operating an independent bookstore.

Now an eclectic shop that is frequented by students from nearby universities, as well as families with children, Joe’s Place sells both rare antique books found at estate sales and inexpensive picks from library sales, as well as some new bestsellers. Wine racks throughout the store hold the many tomes, and local artwork decorates the space. Since opening, the bookstore has nearly tripled its sales.

“We want this to be your living room in downtown Greenville,” said Mary. “We truly feel that way.”