Black-owned LA bookstore Eso Won Books will close at the end of the year. Located in Leimert Park Village, the store was founded 33 years ago. Co-owner James Fugate said on The Tavis Smiley Podcast, “We’ve been working at it a long time and at some point, I think people reach that point where that daily grind of coming into the store, even though we’re open a small amount of time, you want to end that.” Elsewhere, Barnes & Noble will relocate its Pikesville, MD location, after 19 years. The new location, set to open in fall, is just across […]
Bookstores
Bookselling: New Ownership For Elliott Bay Book Company
Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle has been sold to Tracy Taylor, the general manager of 32 years, as well as married couple Murf Hall and Joey Burgess, who own bars and businesses in the neighborhood. The sale was finalized on June 1. Former owner Peter Aaron said in a release, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as steward of this unique and wonderful haven of literature and civility for the past 23 years. ” He called the new owners “ideally suited to ensure that the bookstore will continue to thrive and to maintain the standards […]
Bookselling: Beacon Hill Books and Cafe To Open In Boston
Beacon Hill Books and Cafe, a new 3,000 square foot, four-story bookstore on Charles Street, will open in Boston in August. Owner Melissa Fetter plans to sell “books in a range of topics spread across all of those stories.” Events will be held in the “cafe, courtyard garden, and third floor, where there’s a salon for intimate readings.”
Bookselling: Houston B&N to Close After 28 Years
The Vanderbilt Square Barnes & Noble in Houston will close June 19 after 28 years in business. Barnes & Noble said they didn’t want to close the store, but their landlord decided not to renew their lease.
Bookselling: P&T Knitwear Bookstore; Book Soup Union
A new bookstore, P&T Knitwear, will open on Orchard Street NYC Memorial Day weekend. The 3,000 square foot store will “will carry titles for children, teens, and adults spanning all genres, plus there will be a particular focus on fiction and nonfiction highlighting New York City.” In an Instagram post, workers at Book Soup in West Hollywood announced their intent to unionize, seeking “fair wages, adequate staffing, disability access, and democratic decision making in the workplace.” They have partnered with the Communication Workers of America and “are hoping that our employers at [Vroman’s Bookstore] will voluntarily recognize us.”
Bookselling: Two Replacement Barnes & Noble Stores to Open
On Monday, May 9 the chain will open an “interim store” in Flagstaff, AZ — filling in for a longstanding location that closed in January, “while a new permanent location is being determined.” Then on May 11, they will open a new standing store in Blue Springs, MO outside of Kansas City, replacing a store in Independence, MO that closed in February.