Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

After an extended holiday hiatus, Empty Shelves has returned! And what better way than to kick off the new year than a round up of the subjectively important indie bookstore news of 2012?

First, several indie bookstores are packing up and moving out of their space. No, they didn't go bankrupt. Yes, they can still pay their rent. They're just switching locations. A Capella Books (fun website, by the way) in Atlanta will be moving by February 1st to a location that they

hope will experience more foot traffic. But for the popular Iowa City Defunct Books, the store owners are actually being kicked out by building owners who want to use the space for something different. This is really a shame considering the continued success of the store. In the article linked above, the owner says new locations are still being scouted.

40-year-old Bodhi Tree Bookstore (pictured left) in Los Angeles closed on the last day of 2011. Bodhi was a niche bookstore selling meditative, philosophy, and other types of zen books. The store will continue selling their inventory online, and hope to open up a new location eventually.

In happier news, St. Louis Today ran an article about the successful year experienced by local indie bookstores in the wake of Borders' closing. Booksellers there appear to be optimistic about the future of their stores and their community.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

Another Friday, another set of indie bookstore news stories. I was hoping to provide an update on RiverRun, the bookstore looking to raise more the $100, 000 before the end of the month, but all I have is this update posted to the store's Twitter page. It would be nice if the proprietors announced the dollar amount they have so far received. I think it can really encourage more donations. I'll try to stay up-to-date on this story.

It wouldn't be Friday news if I didn't have at least one story about the closing of an indie bookstore. The week, it's Catfish Books in Lakeport, CA after 17 years of business. Unsurprisingly (am I getting a little callus?) the store does not have a website.

In other, much happier news, today is the grand opening of Parnassus Books in Nashville. The

New York Times ran a piece about the store and its proprietor, successful novelist Ann Prachett, on Tuesday.

Indie bookstores in St. Louis demonstrate the important role they play in rallying their community as they kick off their book drive for the homeless.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

It's Friday once again. As always, I have been assembling a short list of the most pertinent pieces of industry news to share. This was, unfortunately, a pretty rough week for indie bookstores across America.

In Gainesville, FL, 20-year-old Books, Inc. announced that it will

be closing its doors at the beginning of 2012. I tried to find a website for this store to no avail (insert insensitive commentary here). In a similar vein, 15-year-old Sweet Briar used bookstore in Davis, CA will be closing permanently on Christmas Eve of this year. Again, no website.

RiverRun, an indie bookstore in New Hampshire (photo left is from the website), is now asking for donations from its patrons and community members in order to stay in business. According to the website, the bookstore needs to raise more than $100,000 by November 30th in order to eliminate their debt and rebuild relationships with publishers. The owner said today that more than $55,000 has already been raised. Interested parties can donate through the website.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

Here is my totally subjective list of the top three news stories about independent bookstores in the US and UK for this week:

1. After 32 years of business, Sonoma Bookends will close its doors next week, leaving only two independent bookstores open for business (one of which specializes in rare books).

2. Independent book retailers in the UK are asking the government to fix book prices in order to maintain the presence of bookshops on the high street.

3. Some in Seattle are considering the closing of a large, local Barnes & Noble to be good news for the independently owned Elliott Bay Book Company.