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Printer-friendly versionHillary Clinton Stops at Savoy Bookshop
Savoy Bookshop & Café in Westerly, Rhode Island, received a surprise visitor on Sunday, November 20: Hillary Clinton. She was accompanied by husband Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton, and Chelsea’s husband and daughter. Bookseller Jessica Wick assisted Clinton, who picked up a selection of books.
Wick shared a photo and discussed the experience on Facebook, commenting, “This was a surprise and I can’t imagine meeting anyone else who looms as large … She was gracious and she was warm and she said the bookstore was beautiful.”
“I wish them a good future, and loads of good books and interesting reading,” added Wick.
That same weekend, Vice President Joe Biden visited Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as part of his 74th birthday weekend celebration, reported the Delaware News Journal.
Sydney Draper, a bookseller at Browseabout Books, said Biden sat outside the store but did not come inside. “It’s always nice to see Vice President Biden in downtown Rehoboth!” the bookstore shared on Facebook.
In November 2015, Biden visited Browseabout during a book launch for Beach Days: Rehoboth Beach Reads, a collection of short stories by local writers, edited by Nancy Sakaduski (Cat & Mouse Press).
Anderson’s Bookshops Sees Huge Turnout for Bernie Sanders
On November 18, former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders addressed a packed house at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
The event, a stop on Sanders’ book tour for Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Thomas Dunne Books), was arranged by Anderson’s Bookshops in partnership with the college.
Sanders was introduced by Anderson’s Bookshops co-owner Becky Anderson, who is also a member of the Naperville City Council. “There are so many young people here, and that’s the future,” Anderson said. “If we can get them engaged and involved in our communities — just doing something for the common good — we’ll all be better.” Anderson’s has locations in Naperville, Downers Grove, and La Grange, Illinois.
Quail Ridge Books Welcomes Visit From ABA CEO
Earlier this year, Quail Ridge Books & Music closed temporarily to complete the move to a new home in the North Hills Shopping Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Last week, ABA CEO Oren Teicher visited the new 9,000-square-foot store, whose design and feel he said was “truly magnificent!”
Quail Ridge Books & Music is owned by Lisa Poole and managed by Sarah Goddin. It was founded in 1984 by Nancy Olson, who died in March.
A grand opening weekend was held July 23–24 to celebrate the store’s move. It featured six prize drawings a day each for kids and adults, a visit by author Sheila Turnage, a trivia contest, and story times with Corduroy and the Cat in the Hat.
The Regulator Bookshop to Mark 40 Years
The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina, will celebrate its 40th anniversary over the weekend of December 3–4.
The store is using the occasion as a means to give back to the community that has supported it for four decades. On Saturday, December 3, 10 percent of the day’s proceeds will be divided between two nonprofit literacy organizations, Durham Literacy Center and Book Harvest. Customers can also bring or buy books to donate to Book Harvest.
Customers will also be treated to cake and will have the chance to win a number of $40 gift certificates to be raffled off throughout the day.
Current owner Tom Campbell, along with several other Duke University graduates, opened The Regulator Bookshop on December 4, 1976.
Readers’ Books to Celebrate 25th Anniversary
On Saturday, November 26, Readers’ Books in Sonoma, California, will celebrate its 25th birthday with an event featuring cake, coffee, T-shirts, balloons, and freebies, as well as a magic show and a jazz music performance. Andy and Lilla Weinberger founded the store in 1991.
In a message on Facebook, the Weinbergers noted that a lot can happen to a store over 25 years — owner burnout, rising rents, invasion of chain stores — but Readers’ Books has “grown and adapted to the changing shape of Sonoma, and now, 25 years have passed and we're still around to tell the tale.”
Their post concluded: “From the first day we opened our door you’ve cheered us on; and that’s because, like us, you also have a deep love and reverence for books. And maybe because you know just how hard it is to manage a literary circus such as this.”
New Co-owner for Kramerbooks
Steve Salis, the co-founder of &pizza, a local chain of pizza shops, will become co-owner of Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café in Washington, D.C., reported the Washington Post. The bookstore was co-founded in 1976 by Bill Kramer and David Tenney, who will remain part owner.
“There’s so much history here,” Salis said. “My goal is to bring back some of that flair and energy.”
Under Salis’ guidance, the bookstore is taking over the 800-square-foot space next door, formerly occupied by Willie T’s Lobster Shack. The space will be used to create a children’s book annex, slated to open this week. Over the next 18 months, he also has plans to add a coffee bar, more space for events, and more cookbooks, history, and nonfiction books.
Based on research conducted over the past year, Salis is also looking to merge the store’s bookselling and restaurant operations. “The hardest part is trying to figure out, how do we do a better job of bringing this experience together?” Salis told the Washington Post. “It’s really tough. There are a lot of great things going on here. But in order for us to evolve, we’re going to have to be able to look beyond the corners. We’ve got to think ahead.”
Afterwords Books, From My Shelf, and The Bookshelf Named Indie Award Quarterfinalists
Afterwords Books in Edwardsville, Illinois; From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania; and The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia, are three of 25 quarterfinalists for the 2016 Independent Small Business of the Year Award from Independent We Stand. Voting is underway through December 11 and the winner will be announced December 14; voters can cast one vote each day on the Independent We Stand website.
The 2016 Indie winner will receive prizes with a combined value of more than $10,000, including a $5,000 grand prize; a $1,000 STIHL equipment certificate; a “Small Business Web Starter Package” from independent web design firm Meridian Group; a two-night stay at an independent beach resort in Virginia Beach; a plaque to display at the winner’s business; and public relations and social media recognition.