Around Indies

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Zenith Bookstore to Open in Minnesota

Bob and Angel Dobrow are opening Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, Minnesota, later this summer.

The owners purchased the former location of Wild West Liquor on Friday, July 15, and began renovations over the weekend, reported KBJR. With the help of family and friends, the Dobrows removed wall paneling to expose the original brick, as well as a drop ceiling to uncover the original tin ceiling.

“We love West Duluth, we’re really excited about coming up here,” said Angel Dobrow.

Mesilla Book Center Marks Half a Century

Mesilla Book Center owners Paul and Cheryll Blevins are celebrating the Mesilla, New Mexico, bookstore’s 50th anniversary this year, reported KRWG. Cheryll Blevins’ mother, Mary Bowlin, bought the store in 1966.

“At that time … there wasn’t much here. So it was kind of a leap of faith to take on the business,” said Cheryll Blevins.

The store is housed in an adobe building that was built in the 1850s, which was once home to a mercantile store and a pool hall. In addition to children’s books and books on Western and Southwestern history, the store carries Native American arts and crafts. “We’ve always tried to not carry what you can find at the mall,” said Blevins.

Paul Blevins commented, “The nice part of owning the bookstore … is meeting all of the different people that come in and getting to talk with people, you know, they come in from all over the world.”

Hans Weyandt to Manage Milkweed Bookstore

Publisher Milkweed Editions, which is opening the indie bookstore Milkweed Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this September, has tapped Hans Weyandt as the shop’s manager, reported the Star Tribune.

A longtime bookseller, Weyandt was a co-owner of Micawber’s Books in St. Paul and worked at Hungry Mind in Minneapolis. Since he left Micawber’s three years ago, he has spent some time working at Minneapolis’ Moon Palace Books and at Sea Salt Eatery.

Weyandt is also the editor of the 2012 anthology Read This!: Handpicked Favorites From America’s Indie Bookstores (Coffee House Press).

Bookstores to Celebrate National Coloring Book Day

On August 2, a dozen indie booksellers across the country will participate in National Coloring Book Day by hosting coloring book parties for adults. The coloring event kits provided by Thunder Bay Press, the event’s organizer, include free coloring book samples, colored pencils, event-themed magnets, and signage.

The stores participating in the program are: Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, La Grange, and Downers Grove, Illinois; Books & Company in Dayton, Ohio; The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis, Tennessee; Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona; The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah; Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café in Asheville, North Carolina; R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut; Towne Center Books in Pleasanton, California; and West Grove Collective in San Diego, California

“We are thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response from the bookstores we contacted, and are excited to partner with them for this event. Adult coloring has become an immensely popular trend, and we hope to support and grow that trend with our National Coloring Book Day events,” said Thunder Bay Press Associate Publisher Ana Parker.