Joseph-Beth Booksellers' Eighth Location Set to Open

The Joseph-Beth Group, owners of Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and of Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Tennessee, is just weeks away from opening its eighth bookstore, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 18-year-old business, owned by Neil Van Uum, also ventured into new territory in November 2004, when its Pittsburgh store opened in a large mixed-use development project on the site of a former steel mill.

The Charlotte store is situated in the upscale SouthPark Mall, in what Fodor's travel guide calls, "the most affluent section of the city." The store occupies 30,000-square-feet and includes a full-service menu at its Bronte Bistro.

Michele Sulka, vice-president of marketing for the Joseph-Beth Group, recently spoke to BTW from company headquarters in Cincinnati. "The Charlotte store will be a return to our Southern roots," she said. "We look forward to sharing our exhaustive book inventory, large children's department, music and DVDs for every taste, and specialty areas for Gifts, Health & Well-Being, and Travel.

"The store will also feature inviting spots for events of all sizes, including a fully media-equipped, private events space for lectures, receptions, and our popular Girls' Nights Out."

Sulka is pleased with the new store's development. "Everything has been going according to schedule -- the construction and set up -- and we're thrilled about that," she said. "The opening [on April 27, 28, or 29] will be a soft opening with major author events planned for a little later in May.

"In Pittsburgh, we opened the store the same day as an appearance by Janet Evanovitch, with over 500 people attending. This time we'd like to give the booksellers a little more time to get used to the store before we schedule something as big as that."

In the fall of 2005, the Joseph-Beth Group will open a 30,000-square-foot Davis-Kidd Nashville store to anchor the 20-store grand expansion planned by the Mall at Green Hills. --Nomi Schwartz