Around Indies

Bookmans Does Banned Books

In anticipation of Banned Books Week, which takes place from September 30 - October 6, Arizona’s Bookmans Entertainment Exchange created a moving read-out video, with staff members and customers reciting excerpts from several titles that have been banned over the years.

The description on the store’s website explains that the shattering light bulb exists as one of their more powerful symbols. “In this video… we created a statement about how books inform, engage and inspire the light in each of us.”

Learn more about the Banned Books Week read-out.

Pegasus Hosts a Bookstore Wedding

Last Saturday, Pegasus Booksin Oakland, California, closed its doors to customers for two hours while longtime customers Alexander McEachern (Sandy) and Lenore Lustig (Red) exchanged wedding vows behind the counter in front of 100 guests. Their decision to get married at the bookstore was just as much a declaration of love for their community, as it was for each other.

“We wanted to support our local community — with the wedding dress, the reception, the cake,” said Lustig, “and we thought of the sensory experience of our corner independent bookstore, the scent and warmth and light of Pegasus.”

 Pegasus staff were inspired and touched by the idea. “We’d known each of them as regular customers for at least a decade. It was only recently that they started coming into the store together,” said buyer Christopher Miya. “I was just over the moon. It was a really sweet idea.”

The couple invited their guests to choose a book as a wedding favor, which encouraged them to strike up conversations and make connections in the aisles.

Photo of Maria’s Featured in Outside

A storefront photo of Maria’s Bookshop was featured in Outside magazine in recognition of Durango, Colorado, as one of the best river towns in America. The magazine pointed out that despite being a tourist town, Durango is home to a well-balanced mix of working ranchers, young professionals, athletes, artists, retirees, and the 4,000 liberal arts students attending Fort Lewis College.

“It’s a real town, not a faux fancy place that relies on the mythic West for its identity,” Stephanie Moran, program coordinator for the Durango Adult Education Center told Outside.