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Once Upon a Book Opens in Upstate New York

Cousins Amanda McCarty and Lori Titherington-Raville have opened Once Upon a Book, an 800-square-foot children’s bookstore, in downtown Plattsburgh, New York, reported the Press Republican.

“I’ve always loved children’s bookstores,” said Titherington-Raville, who aimed to make the store cozy and welcoming. “When I come to work, I feel almost like I am at home.”

Children can play in a gated play area in the rear of the store while parents can browse shelves of new books for children and young adults, as well as parenting and family titles, activity books, games and puzzles, and sensory development toys for children with special needs. Regular events, to begin after the holidays, will include story times and craft classes.

Byrd’s Books Celebrates Four Years

Bethel, Connecticut’s Byrd’s Books marked four years in business on December 11 with all-day specials and birthday cake.

To acknowledge the support of its customers, the store offered coupons to those on its e-mail newsletter list. The coupons offered discounts on cookbooks, books by Connecticut authors, Christmas cards and advent calendars, mugs, and puzzles.

Opened by Alice Byrd Hutchinson in 2011, the general-interest bookstore sells new titles for adults and children, as well as greeting cards, gifts, and puzzles.

Book Bin to Welcome New Owner

The Book Bin in Onley, Virginia, held an open house earlier this month to give customers an opportunity to meet the bookstore’s incoming owner, Philip Wilson, reported Delmarva Now. Wilson purchased the store from owners Susan Tyler and Mary Smolinski, effective January 2016.

“The Book Bin ticked all of my boxes in many, many ways,” said Wilson, who taught college-level science and history before recently retiring.

So far, Wilson has no plans to change the store’s inventory, though he does hope to stock more conservation and nature titles due to the shop’s proximity to the Atlantic Coast. He is also looking to maintain the store’s children’s reading program and its monthly book clubs while engaging in new relationships with area colleges, churches, civic organizations, and environmental groups.

“Community building is a huge part of what makes all businesses successful,” said Wilson.

Square Books’ Richard Howorth to Serve Second Term on TVA Board

Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, has been confirmed to serve a second term on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors, reported the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Howorth, a former president of the American Booksellers Association and the former mayor of Oxford, joined the TVA board in 2011. His reappointment, approved by a voice vote of the Senate, was announced by U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi on Thursday.

“The Tennessee Valley Authority plays an important role in North Mississippi, and Richard Howorth has used his position to effectively represent our interests and those of all TVA customers,” Cochran said. “The Senate’s reaffirmation of support for his service gives him new opportunities to help shape the future of the TVA and its work in our state and region.”

Howorth’s second term will expire in 2020.

Papercuts J.P.’s Kate Layte Shares Passion for Books in TEDx Talk

In October, Kate Layte, owner of Papercuts J.P. in Boston, Massachusetts, delivered a TEDx Talk — a locally organized version of the popular TED Talks — on the theme of Joy & Purpose. In her talk, Layte discussed the transformative power of books, and how that power eventually led her to open an independent bookstore in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

Layte described how books became an outlet that allowed her to discover different worlds and to find companions when she felt alone. “I used what I read in books to open a new and curious life for myself,” she said. “I opened a bookstore here because I believe in that transformative power of books, because I experienced it myself.”

“I opened a bookstore here because I believe we must have physical spaces to engage with one another, to talk about ideas, and to be surrounded by an abundance of inspiration,” Layte continued. “We must have physical spaces for discovery. We must be able to choose for ourselves what it is we want to read next and not allow algorithms and corporations to tell us what we should read based on our Internet browsing history or previous purchases.”

See the full video of Layte’s TEDx Talk here.