The Vox Pop Cafe says on their site they have closed for now and are “in the process of trying to address the issue of back taxes that was inherited by the new management when NYS Department of Taxation and Finance chose to seize the assets. We are currently negotiating with them to have the space reopened.” The post adds: “Since we have reopened we have been actively paying down much of that inherited debt. We chose to use our limited resources to pay the people who needed it most first — like back pay for our employees who are […]
Bookstores
Bookselling: More Closings, Challenges
Leo’s Book Shop in downtown Toledo, OH will close by the end of the year after 42 years in business. Owner Daryl Yourist says he “will continue to operate his textbook business, but not from a retail establishment, and not downtown.”Blade Toronto Women’s Bookstore, a “36-year-old institution and icon of the local feminist movement,” told supporters that it is “in crisis” and is “hoping to raise $40,000 by January – enough to keep its doors open for another three months,” the Globe and Mail reports. The nonprofit is one of three feminist bookstores in Canada.Globe and Mail And the AP […]
Edelweiss Pairs with NetGalley
In other digital announcements, the Edelweiss digital catalogs will now give publishers the option of providing selected retailers, reviewers and others access to electronic galleys from NetGalley. The first electronic galleys will be available through the program in the second quarter of 2010.
Renamed Kobo Spins Out of Indigo Into Separate Company; New Funders, and Partners, Include Borders
In addition to changing the name of Shortcovers to Kobo, the venture announced that it is separating out of parent company Indigo Books to operate as an independent company. A new round of funding has raised $16 million (Canadian), with $5 million coming from Indigo, now joined by Borders Group, REDgroup Retail (which currently owns the major book chains in Australia and New Zealand), and Instant Fame, a subsidiary of Cheung Kong. Those new funders will also serve as strategic distribution partners for Kobo’s international rollout. Indigo retains a 58 percent stake in Kobo, the Canadian Press reports. Borders is […]
Bookselling: Indies Discuss Kiosk Platform; West Village Store Has New Lease
A number of independent booksellers organized a Twitter discussion about what a shared in-store kiosk platform might look like. Among the ideas/wish list: letting customers access a database of bookseller reviews (the top wish from Skylight Books and Rainy Day); view digital content (samples; book trailers); and browse inventory. The manager of Breathe Books Jenn Northington posted a brief summary, and you can view the posts and participants under the Twitter tag #indiekiosk The NYT reports that Left Bank Books in the West Village, which expected to close when its lease was not renewed, has found a new larger space […]
The ABA Hotel Returns, Now in Manhattan
BEA has secured a room block at the Park Central Hotel just north of Times Square for bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association attending next year’s BEA, at rates starting at $179 a room.