Three Indies Under New Ownership

Longtime customers embrace Wellesley Booksmith's independence

Bill and Gillian Kohli, residents of Wellesley, Massachusetts, since 1994, have purchased the Wellesley Booksmith, the town's only independent bookstore. Gillian Kohli told the Boston Globe that “the timing just felt right.” The couple has shopped in the store for years and praised it for its independence. Gillian Kohli told the Daily Milford News that they both “passionately believe in the importance of independent bookstores,” and they hope to maintain the store's purpose within their own community.

Gillian, with a background in engineering and law, will serve as company president, and Bill, a portfolio manager at Putnam Investments, will serve as company CFO.

In 1999, Marshall Smith established the Wellesley Booksmith, a sister location to his other store, Brookline Booksmith. Smith, 78, announced in March that he was retiring. He put the Wellesley Booksmith up for sale and was in pursuit of an owner who would continue to operate independently and work in harmony with the local community.

Though the Wellesley bookstore will end its formal relationship with the Brookline Booksmith, Gillian expects to remain close to its sister store.

Nancy Rutland of Bookworks passes the baton

On Thursday, September 16, Nancy Rutland, owner of Bookworks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced on her store's website that she will be “passing the baton.”

“I loved growing the bookstore from its initial 600 square foot space into a community partner,” she wrote, “hosting 150 author events a year and working with people, schools, libraries, museums, theaters, restaurants, and non-profits of all kinds to fulfill our mission: Bringing Books and People Together.”

Two staff members, Wyatt Wegryzn and Danielle Foster, have formed a partnership to purchase the store.

“They embrace the traditions of Bookworks and also provide new ideas to continue bringing quality service, books, authors and events into our community,” said Rutland, in her announcement.

New owner of King's Books plans to preserve the store's community quality

King's Books, in Tacoma, Washington, will undergo minor changes under new ownership. Longtime staff member and future owner Sweetpea Flaherty told the News Tribune that owning his own bookstore has been on his mind for a long time, and he wants King's Books to be “the intellectual hub of the community.”

Flaherty plans to increase the store's stock of new books, schedule more events, and create new programs, such as Books for Schools, as a way to get kids interested in books.

Though he says he has a vision, Flaherty wants “the flavor” of the store to remain the same. He wants it to be a community center, neighborhood gathering place, and intellectual hub that provides book knowledge and introduces customers to new ideas. This, he said, is the role an independent bookstore plays in today's world. “You do bookselling for the passion of doing it.”