Around Indies

Left Bank wins bookstore makeover; St. Mark’s Bookshop turns to the community; McLean and Eakin celebrates 20 years

Left Bank Wins Bookstore Makeover

Left Bank Books, in St. Louis, Missouri, has won the Bookstore Make-Over Project, sponsored by The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates. This project was introduced as a way to celebrate 20 years of serving independent bookstores. The design group at Paz & Associates will contribute $2,000 for upgrades and materials and provide design and merchandising expertise. Seventeen U.S. bookstores entered the contest.  

“Our goal was to select one project that would help illustrate affordable solutions to issues that many bookstores have in common,” noted founder Donna Paz Kaufman. “Left Bank Books provided the perfect combination of opportunities,” she added.

Left Bank announced the news on the store’s Facebook page: “We've been imagining and reimagining a store makeover for years, and now we've won one!” The project has an October 15 completion date with updates provided on the company’s blog at PazBookBiz.com. 

For more information on upcoming services provided by Paz & Associates, see the related story in this week’s edition of Bookselling This Week.

St. Mark’s Bookshop Turns to the Community

St. Mark's Bookshop, in New York City, has turned to its community to raise funds in order to move to a more affordable location and strengthen its online presence.

The store began a crowdsourcing campaign on luckyant.com to raise $23,000 during the next three weeks. Depending on the contribution, the store offers a range of benefits, from a $10 gift certificate and acknowledgement on the store's “thank-you wall,” to four invitations to the new store’s grand opening and a specially designed bookmark by a local East Village artist, as well as 15 percent off of all purchases for the next year.

In November, St. Mark’s received a temporary rent reduction from its landlord, Cooper Union but hopes to find a more permanent solution.

McLean and Eakin Celebrates 20 Years

This Friday, McLean and Eakin Bookstore, in Petoskey, Michigan, is celebrating its 20^th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the store is holding an open house celebration from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The event will include prize drawings, music, food, and beverages, with several visiting authors, including a “mystery guest” whose name has appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Owners Matt and Jessilyn Norcross hope to use this opportunity to thank their customers and keep them informed about upcoming projects, including their projected digital offering this fall.

“This is not just about selling books,” Jessilynn told Petoskey News. “We would not be here without the continued support of our repeat customers who shop with us both in the store and online. This is our way of celebrating ... and saying thank you.”

McLean and Eakin was founded by Matt's mother, Julie Norcross, in 1992. Matt worked in the store during college, and in 2003 took over many of the store’s major responsibilities. Jessilynn was hired shortly thereafter. Matt and Jessilynn purchased the store in January 2010.