Greenwich Village’s Oscar Wilde Bookshop, “believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country,” will close March 29. The store has struggled for a long time and “nearly closed six years ago, only to be sold and given a last-minute reprieve.” Owner Kim Brinster notes, “Even if we were rent-free, it wouldn’t be enough for us to cover the bills we have. This is one instance in New York where it’s not a case of the landlord gouging the tenant. Our landlord has always been remarkable with us.”NYT
Bookstores
Borders Eliminates 16 Executive Jobs
New ceo Ron Marshall declares “as we address the immediate priority of getting our company’s financial house in order, one of our goals is to more aggressively reduce annual expenses” and to that end the company announced the elimination of six vice-president and 10 director-level jobs, mostly at their Ann Arbor headquarters. Among those whose positions are being cut are evp of US store Ken Armstrong, and svp and CIO Susan Harwood (who was a high-profile hire in 2007), and svp of e-business Kevin Ertell who led the development of Borders.com. VPs of real estae, human resources serivces and creative […]
Durham's 'Book Ex' to Close February 14
The Book Exchange, aka The Book Ex, a “downtown Durham, NC institution,” will close after 75 years in business. Co-owner Fran Feinberg says, “It’s a terrible loss to the community. It’s not a decision we made lightly. If we thought we could make it we would, but I don’t see that happening. I guess the writing is on the wall.” Feinberg adds, “It’s becoming harder and harder to make a profit,” Feinberg said. “You’re working with a very small profit margin and then you’re looking at a very bad economy.”News Observer
Keeping Book Soup Warm
“In the wake of owner Glenn Goldman’s death, employees and colleagues ponder the future of the independent bookstore” Book Soup, the LAT writes. The store, and other surviving indies in the LA area, report good results from last year. “According to manager Tyson Cornell, Book Soup did ‘very well’ last year. So did Los Feliz independent Skylight Books, which recently expanded from 2,000 to 3,100 square feet. This December, says manager and co-owner Kerry Slattery, Skylight’s sales were 17% higher than last year. Overall sales for the year were 7.5 % higher.” Efforts to find a new owner for Book […]
Another Big Indie Lost: Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops to Close
The Milwaukee-based group of four independent bookstores will close at the end of March after 82 years in business, president Carol Grossmeyer announced on Sunday. General manager Daniel Goldin is buying the store on Downer Avenue, which will be named Boswell Book Company. And Lanora Hurley, manager of the store in Mequon, “is in discussions” to acquire that location, which she would rename Next Chapter Bookshopm, the Milwaukee Sentinel reports. Grossmeyer told the newspaper, “This has been the most emotional six months of my life, and now it’s culminating in a decision that was coming for a while. You want […]
People and More
Donna Shear will become director of the University of Nebraska Press on March 1. She has been director at the Northwestern University Press since 2003. At Riverhead, Laura Perciasepe has been promoted to associate editor. Abby Ranger, previously associate editor at Scholastic Press, has joined Disney-Hyperion Books as editor, reporting to editorial director Stephanie Owens Lurie. Willow Glen Books in San Jose will close at the end of June, owner Cathy Adkins announced. “The downturn of the economy and the steady growth of online book sales has prompted her to shutter the store” ahead of her planned retirement in 2010.Mercury […]