Santa Barbara bookstore Chaucer’s Books, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, has been sold by owner Mahri Kerley, the Santa Barbara Independent reports. The new owners, Greg Feitt and Jen Lemberger, met and fell in love as booksellers at the store in mid-2000s. Feitt eventually became the store’s general manager and book buyer. The new owners tell the Independent that they aren’t planning big changes, and will still host events and book fairs. “Chaucer’s is a community institution, and we want it to continue as such and continue [Kerley’s] legacy,” Feitt said. “So, while we have ideas and […]
Bookstores
Tattered Cover Cancels Auction
Tattered Cover canceled today’s planned auction to determine a new owner “to allow more time to discuss with interested buyers,” the Denver Post reports. The auction may happen in the future, or “may not be needed,” store spokesperson Steven Silvers said. In May, Tattered Cover said that they were soliciting bids from potential buyers, and that they would hold the auction if there were multiple bidders. In bankruptcy court filings, they said they had executed signed NDAs from eight potential bidders and were hoping for more.
Macmillan Recalls Signed Questlove Stock
On Friday evening, Macmillan emailed booksellers to alert them not to sell the signed copies they had received of Questlove’s HIP-HOP IS HISTORY, publishing today from Auwa/FSG. The publisher asked stores to disable buy buttons for the signed edition from their sites. The unsigned books, they said, are still ok to sell. In a statement, the publisher said, “Macmillan and Farrar, Straus and Giroux have just learned that the limited number of pre-signed copies of Questlove’s book, HIP-HOP IS HISTORY, which is published today by AUWA, an imprint of FSG/MCD were not individually signed by the author. The publisher would […]
Powell’s Secures Loan to “Infuse Cash Into the Business”
With sales still below pre-pandemic levels, Powell’s Books secured a $4.5 million loan from Pacific West Bank, the Portland Business Journal reports. The loan is backed by the store’s warehouse, which held a sale last week that drew thousands of shoppers, and the borrowers are listed as Powell Family Real Estate Co. LLC and Powell’s Books Inc. “The loan was secured to infuse cash into the business,” store owner Emily Powell said. “It’s a reflection of our commitment to the business and our dedication to our customers.” The store is revamping its website and e-commerce platform, slated to go live […]
Costco to Stop Carrying Books Year Round
Costco recently informed publishers that it will stop carrying books on a year-round basis in its stores. This comes after they stopped carrying books in Hawaii and Alaska as of late 2022, and after their renowned book buyer Pennie Clark Ianniciello left company in 2021. The NYT reports based on conversations with publishers, “Beginning in January 2025, the company will stop stocking books regularly, and will instead sell them only during the holiday shopping period, from September through December. During the rest of the year, some books may be sold at Costco stores from time to time, but not in […]
ABA Continues to Grow Membership
The ABA announced their annual membership data, adding 248 members over the last year. The organization now counts 2,433 bookstore members, operating in 2,844 locations. The organization indicated that “around 190 more stores are in the process of opening over the next two years,” the AP reports. As the AP explains, however, “new stores” includes pop-ups and online-only stores. ABA ceo Allison Hill also balances the increase in members against the challenges that stores continue to face: “Independent bookselling has never been dependably profitable, and Hill notes various concerns — rising costs, dwindling aid from the pandemic and the ongoing […]