Around Indies

The Booksellers at Laurelwood Celebrates Re-opening

On Wednesday, Memphis Tennessee’s Booksellers at Laurelwood, formerly a Davis-Kidd Booksellers, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its grand re-opening. Renovations to the store, owned by former Davis-Kidd owner Neil Van Uum, included new carpet and fixtures, as well as improvements to the cafe and bathrooms and an expanded children’s section.

The Booksellers at Laurelwood was featured earlier in the week in the Memphis Daily News for giving a 10 percent discount to customers who said “Occupy Amazon” at checkout. The promo was in response to Amazon’s price check app, which launched last weekend.

Ivy Bookshop to Get New Owners

In January, the Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore, Maryland, will have new owners, according to the blog Baltimore Fishbowl. Ed and Ann Berlin, who have frequented Ivy Bookshop when in town visiting friends, are moving from New York to take over the store. Ann Berlin has experience in publishing.

Byrd’s Books Opens

Byrd’s Books opened its doors to the community of Bethel, Connecticut, with a soft launch on Saturday, December 10. The store, which carries new titles, with a special focus on local authors, is located on the second floor of a newly renovated Victorian, just above the coffee shop Molten Java.

The two stores are planning a combined grand opening celebration in January.

Byrd owner Alice Hutchinson served as manager and buyer of Pymander Bookshop in Westport, which was owned by her mother, Nancy Ivison, for 30 years. Hutchinson holds a Master’s degree in teaching with an emphasis on Young Adult literature.

[words] Bookstore Recognized as Role Model

[words] Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey, was honored for being a role model for corporate America because of its efforts to help the disabled community, reported the Sacramento Bee. The store received Springboard Consulting’s 2011 “Disability Matters” Small Business Award, for its initiatives to recruit, provide support, and market to the disability community. The awards were presented at Springboard’s fifth annual banquet and conference held at Cisco Systems, Inc. in San Jose, California.

“We are honored to be the only business in New Jersey to receive this recognition,” said Jonah Zimiles, co-owner of [words] with his wife, Ellen Zimiles. “[words] is dedicated to serving the diverse spectrum of families in our community, particularly those with children or adults with a developmental disability. We strive to help Maplewood become a model community of inclusion through our respect for and engagement with customers and employees, especially those with autism.”

Anderson’s Is Adorned With Bookas

In the spirit of the holiday season, the windows of Anderson’s Bookshop, in Naperville, Illinois, are filled with lights and decorations made from re-purposed books fashioned to emulate Christmas trees, garlands, ornaments, and wreaths. Anderson’s staff created the holiday décor to fit the themes: “Peace, Love, Books,” and “Give the Gift of Words.”