Spellbinder Books Turns 40 With a Celebration of the 1970s

Rod McKuen, Jimmy Breslin, and Erich Segal will soon be back on the bestseller list at Spellbinder Books. The Bishop, California, bookstore is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a fond look back at the year of its birth.

Co-owners Lynne Almeida and Gail Albutt weren't working in bookselling when Spellbinder Books opened its doors in March 1970, but they are happy to be around for this milestone in the store's history.

"This is an awesome community, and I feel privileged to live here," said Almeida, who bought Spellbinder Books with Albutt in 2000. Bishop, a community of 10,000 people, is something of a haven for independent businesses. "Our location has protected us in a lot of ways," Almeida said. The town is also popular with tourists, and many of those visitors return to Spellbinder Books whenever they are in the area.

Almeida and Albutt try to make the store "as much an integral part of the community as possible," working with schools, community organizations, and the local business alliance. The coffee roaster and espresso bar next door is also a draw. "The quality of the coffee there is outstanding," Almeida said.

Instead of one big celebration, Almeida and Albutt plan to mark the store's anniversary all year long. Spellbinder Books will give away a $40 gift certificate each month, and a 1970s-themed party is planned for later in the year.

Almeida explained that the focus would be on small changes at the store this year, starting with a relaunching of Spellbinder Books' IndieCommerce site on the new Drupal platform. They also plan to introduce and try out new sidelines.

The one thing Almeida knows they won't be doing is decreasing the number or variety of books in the store. "I'm pleasantly shocked at the range of titles people buy," she said. --Sarah Rettger