Around Indies

Eagle Harbor Welcomes New Business Partners

After 15 years as the sole owner of Eagle Harbor Book Co. in Bainbridge Island, Washington, Morley Horder is welcoming two partners into the business: current bookstore manager Tim Hunter and Rene Kirkpatrick, a well-known Pacific Northwest bookseller. Hunter and Kirkpatrick will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store, while Horder will remain active on the business side and will act as an advisor to the new partners.

Horder commended Hunter and Kirkpatrick for their passion and commitment to independent bookstores and said he believes that the new partners have what it takes to carry the business well into the future.

“They understand the role of technology in the ever evolving retail world,” Horder told the Bainbridge Island Review, “but they strongly believe that the heart of our business is the one-on-one personal relationship we have with our customers, with the goal of putting the right book in each customer’s hands.”

Northshire Bookstore One Step Closer to Saratoga

After nearly a year of scoping out possible spaces for a new Saratoga location, Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow has signed a letter of intent to move into a building on Broadway, a popular shopping and dining area.

Northshire plans to occupy 9,000 square feet on both the ground floor and the second floor of the four-story building. “The plan is contingent upon raising enough money to make it happen,” Morrow told the Saratogian. “I have only a short amount of time.”

Morrow decided on Saratoga for Northshire’s second location because of its proximity to local colleges and walker-friendly downtown. Northshire’s flagship Manchester, Vermont, location will remain open.

“Saratoga is a great city,” Morrow said. “It deserves a great bookstore.”

Wedding Bells Ring in Andover Bookstore

Andover Bookstore in Andover, Massachusetts, was the wedding venue of choice for book lovers Danielle Chamberland and Jason Roberts, whose bookish ceremony was complete with hollowed out books as invitations, book pages as bouquets, and literary references throughout.

The couple was drawn to the bookstore after visiting it online.

“We were glad to be part of their wedding story,” said Andover manager Jen Tierney. “We only have about 25 chairs. So, we spent hours moving all the books off the floor so we could fit in all of the guests.”

Ninth Street Celebrates Banned Books Week

At Ninth Street Book Shop in Wilmington, Delaware, preparations for Banned Books Week (September 30 - October 6) include the creation of a window display highlighting titles that have been banned or challenged in recent years.

Store co-owner Gemma Buckley also spoke about free speech on Day Five of the “Countdown to the First State,” an online series produced by the News Journal that isdedicated to the celebration of the 225^th anniversary of Delaware’s ratification of the Constitution.