Around Indies

BookHampton East Sold, to be Managed by R.J. Julia

East Hampton, New York, resident Carolyn Brody has purchased the local branch of Long Island’s BookHampton from former owner Charline Spektor. The Southampton branch was purchased by Daniel Hirsch and Gregory Harris last fall.

“BookHampton is a treasure trove, a rich environment for all the arts,” said Brody. “I am thrilled to continue the wonderful legacy of this important bookstore and will be an active, hands-on owner.”

Roxanne Coady, owner of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut, and her team will manage operations of the bookstore. “When Carolyn called me, I was wildly enthusiastic,” said Coady. “Carolyn brings strong skills and great passion, knowledge, and dedication to this bookstore. She’s an exciting addition to the community of booksellers. I see extraordinary potential for BookHampton to become even more vibrant for readers and authors. And it feels like kismet to have the opportunity to be part of a store so similar to R.J. Julia.”

Brody is a civic leader and an advocate for the arts and the environment. She is the chairman emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a past chair of the National Building Museum, and was appointed by President Clinton to the Commission on Fine Arts. She has also worked as a real estate consultant to the World Bank, a real estate investment banker at First Boston Corporation, and an economic development consultant to a large New England bank.

Ripped Bodice Brings Romance to Culver City

Sisters Bea and Leah Koch celebrated the opening of their new romance bookstore, The Ripped Bodice, in Culver City, California, on March 4, Los Angeles Magazine reported.

Longtime fans of romance novels, the sisters, who refer to themselves as “purveyors of fine smut,” intend for the bookstore to help banish the stigma associated with romance novels. “Romance novels do not generally have a great reputation,” said Leah Koch, “and historically, we have not been great as a country about being open to female sexuality.”

A Kickstarter campaign raised more than $90,000 to help fund The Ripped Bodice, whose name comes from Bea Koch’s graduate thesis on historical clothing in Regency romance novels.

Titles in the store’s inventory will relay the positive message the sisters are looking to send about romance literature and will include classic romance novels, young adult and new adult books, and erotic novels featuring healthy, consensual relationships. “We think there’s a romance novel out there for everyone,” said Bea Koch.

Hennessey + Ingalls Reopens in Los Angeles’ Arts District

Last fall, Hennessey + Ingalls announced it would close its Santa Monica store and relocate to the Arts District in nearby Los Angeles, a move that was completed last month, LA Observed reported.

The bookstore, which focuses on art, architecture, and design books, is located on the ground floor of the One Santa Fe apartment complex. The store was founded in 1963 by Reginald Hennessey and is now owned and managed by his son, Mark Hennessey.