Around Indies

St. Mark’s Reaches Fundraising Goal

Last week, St. Mark’s Bookshop in New York City, surpassed its goal of $23,000, which is intended to cover the cost of moving to a more affordable new location. The store raised funds through hyper-local site Lucky Ant, which allows the store to offer incentives to donors.

Jonathan Moyal, Lucky Ant’s founder, encouraged customers to continue to donate to ensure the store’s future success.

“St. Mark’s Bookshop is planning a move and $23,000 was the minimum they needed, but the more they raise, the likelier it will be that they will get back on their feet and build a sustainable business,” Moyal told DNAinfo. “Our hope is to surpass it by as much as we can and make sure St. Mark's Bookshop never has to raise money ever again.”

Nightbird Books Opens Café

Last Saturday, Nightbird Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas, celebrated the grand opening of the store’s new café.

The bookstore was previously home to BHK Kafe, a local coffee shop, which moved to a separate location earlier this summer. Rather than seek a replacement, Nightbird’s owner, Lisa Sharp decided to open her own café instead. The addition will allow Nightbird to hold more events, including live music and poetry readings, as well as diversify the business.

“This is kind of the grand vision I originally had of what I wanted Nightbird to be,” Sharp told the Fayetteville Flyer.“We think this could eventually grow to become about 25 to 30 percent of our business."

Quarter Moon Books Reports Best Year of Sales

Quarter Moon Books in Topsail Beach, North Carolina, told Encore Onlinethat 2012 has been the store’s best sales year yet.

“Our sales are approximately 26 percent above last year, but more importantly this year’s sales are 8 percent above our best year of 2007,” owner Lori Fisher said. Quarter Moon is located in a tourist area and relies heavily on summer visitors.

Fisher, a former vice president of the government loan purchasing division with Norwest Mortgage (now Wells Fargo), bought the store in May 1995 after leaving her job to stay at home with her daughter.

Quarter Moon carries gifts, stationery, games, as well as women’s clothing and sandals. The store has a coffee bar that serves espresso and smoothies, and recently added a wine bar.

“We have been struggling the past few years and the sales this year were going to be the determining factor for the future of Quarter Moon,” she said. “This year has been quite a relief for me.”