Barnes & Noble is taking over a retail space in Westchester County that has been vacant since Borders went bankrupt, and plans to build one of four new concept stores in the location. (It’s an odd, below-ground space reached through an escalator.) The retailer has been working through the Eastchester planning board, with minutes of a February 25 meeting quoting architect Greg Belanger: “This will be one of four stores built in this country this year that’s going to have a completely new design, not anything seen anywhere locally. They brought in new designer, an Italian designer.” They hope to open the […]
Bookstores
HarperCollins Officially Expands in France, and More
It’s book fair time — as the Bologna Book Fair officially opens — so Harper Collins has announced another expanded international unit. This time it is the formation of Harper Collins France. Previously, Harlequin SA was a joint venture in France with Hachette Livre, but Harper Collins bought out their partner. They will continue to work with Hachette in an “ongoing partnership for distribution and sales.” (They bought out Mondadori’s share of Harlequin Mondadori in September 2015, and they ended their joint venture in Brazil with Record Publishing Group — pairing instead with Ediuoro Group, last August. The new business will continue to publish […]
April Bookseller Picks
Augusten Burroughs’ Lust & Wonder is Amazon‘s spotlight pick for April, and Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is their featured debut. The rest of their best books of the month are: Maestra, L.S. Hilton Dodgers, William Beverly Kill ‘Em and Leave ‘Em, James McBride Consequence, Eric Fair The Mathews Men, William Geroux The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Dominic Smith Girls & Sex, Peggy Orenstein Rise of the Rocket Girls, Nathalia Holt A Burglar’s Guide to the City, Geoff Manaugh The iBooks Store is featuring these titles as the month’s best fiction: The Regional Office Is Under Attack!, Manuel Gonzales Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld Daredevils, Shawn Vestal […]
Bookselling: Books Inc. Wins An Award and Closes In the Castro, and More
Bay-area bookstore chain Books Inc. will close their location in San Francisco’s Castro in June as the lease expires, after 21 years there. CEO Michael Tucker tells Hoodline, “it wasn’t financially feasible for the company to re-up for another five year lease.” He notes, “It’s been a tough slog because sales have continued to trail off. When the store continues to be in the red and then it continues to go down and occupancy costs go up, and everything else in the city continues to go up, it starts going in the wrong direction.” On the positive side, Books Inc. has been named […]
New Owner for BookHampton; R.J. Julia to Manage Operation
The East Hampton, NY branch of independent bookstore BookHampton has been sold to Carolyn Brody. (Christine Spektor had sold the Southampton to former employees last November.) Owner of R.J. Julia in Madison, CT Roxanne Coady and her team will manage operations at the store. BookHampton will close “for a short while” for renovations and plans a grand opening for the summer season. Brody is chairman emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has worked in finance and real estate in a number of roles. She says in the announcement, “BookHampton is a treasure trove, a rich environment for all the arts. I am thrilled to […]
Amazon’s La Jolla Bookstore to Open This Summer
After advertising for bookstore staff for a new outpost in “the La Jolla or San Diego area,” it’s now clear that Amazon Books will open a store in La Jolla’s Westfield UTC mall, “coming this summer.” The San Diego Union Tribune shows a picture of the space under renovation with Amazon Books displayed prominently on the outside. Company spokesperson Sarah Gelman confirms to the paper, “We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to the University Towne Center Mall in San Diego and we are currently hiring store managers and associates. Stay tuned for additional details down the road.” The new […]