Around Indies

Open Book Marks First Anniversary

Open Book Bookstore in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, is celebrating its first year in business this month, reported Chestnut Hill Local.

Author Lynn Rosen, a former literary agent and now a freelance writer and editor, and husband Evan Schwartz, a full-time copywriter, opened the store in January 2015. “We have often been asked, ‘Why would you open a business in a dying business model?’” Lynn said. “But we didn’t feel that way, and statistics now back us up.”

Rosen and Schwartz divide their time to cover shifts at the store, which offers author readings and community events in addition to titles from local authors and non-mainstream books.

“We believe that our value is in steering readers toward books they might not find on their own. They don’t need us to find the big bestsellers,” said Rosen.

Powell’s Flagship Location Voted Best Bookstore

Winning 32 percent of the vote, Powell’s City of Books, the flagship store of the Portland, Oregon, indie, has been declared the winner in the Best Bookstore category in the Oregonian’s People’s Choice poll. The store will be awarded a “Best of” badge from the Oregonian in recognition of its win.

Other indies recognized by voters include Broadway Books, A Children’s Place, Annie Bloom’s Books, and Wallace Books.

“In our search for the best bookstores around Portland, we learned just how rich our region is when it comes to book shopping. Whether it’s for used classics, the latest comic books or ageless children’s treasures, we have a wealth of places to search,” wrote the Oregonian’s Kjerstin Gabrielson.

New Picture Book to Benefit Booktenders’ Secret Garden

Nicole Plyler Fisk, a customer at Booktenders’ Secret Garden Children’s Bookstore & Gallery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was so smitten by the bookstore during a visit last summer that she has published an illustrated paperback book in tribute to the store, which is owned by Ellen Mager.

Fisk published The Booktender’s Garden with her own money on January 2, and it is now available for sale on Lulu, an online self-publishing and e-book company. All proceeds from the book’s sales will benefit Booktenders’ Secret Garden.

The Booktender’s Garden shares the story of Miss Ellen, a children’s bookstore owner who has a magical ability to connect with the store’s readers, both adults and children alike.