Around Indies

Booktenders’ Celebrates 30 Years

Booktenders’ Secret Garden in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, recently marked 30 years of business. The children’s bookstore, which has become a Doylestown staple, was recognized by phillyBurbs.com for surviving and thriving through several threatening shifts in the industry over the years. Owner Ellen Mager credits her passion for books as the key to the store’s success. “I love what I do and I only sell books that I love,” said Mager.

Booktenders’ held an in-store anniversary party last month, during which author and illustrator Gene Barretta introduced his new book, Timeless Thomas.

Kepler’s to Reopen

Next Tuesday, Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, California, is holding a grand reopening party in the store. The event will feature a conversation between Christin Evans, co-owner of San Francisco’s The Booksmith, and author Michael Doyle about his new book, Radical Chapters, which sheds light on founder Roy Kepler’s contributions to pacifism and social change.

Kepler’s closed its doors on July 1 following a successful fundraising project to reinvent the community bookstore. During the short break, the 2020 Project Team redesigned the layout, implemented a new computer system, and the staff underwent retraining.