Around Indies

Newspaper Owners to Buy The Country Bookshop

David Woronoff, publisher of the Pilot, a daily newspaper in Southern Pines, North Carolina, has announced that he and the other owners of the newspaper are purchasing The Country Bookshop, the area's independent bookstore. The sale is set to close November 12.

Woronoff noted in an October 31 article in the Pilot that it is the newspaper's job is to serve the community. “I can’t imagine Southern Pines without The Country Bookshop,” he said, adding that the new owners would strive to give the store the “tender loving care” that it needs to thrive.

Bobbie Bicket, who has owned the store since 2006, called the purchase “a perfect fit.”

“I am excited that The Country Bookshop will become part of the Pilot family,” she told the newspaper. “It is certainly the heart of the downtown. It really has a life of its own.”

Michele Filgate Makes 2010 “It List”

Michele Filgate, events manager at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been named to New Hampshire Magazine’s 2010 “It List,” an annual list of people that make the state great. Filgate made the list for her role in the area's local literary scene, as well as her direct involvement in Paul Harding's Pulitzer Prize win for Tinkers.

“It could be a plot line in a book,” said New Hampshire Magazine, “though it does stretch credulity a bit. An indie bookstore employee reads a little-known book that becomes her favorite book ever. Soon after she's at a book reviewers workshop and mentions the book (nay, sings its praises) to the workshop leader. It just so happens the workshop leader is the chairwoman of that year's Pulitzer Prize jury in the fiction category. The book wins the Pulitzer.”

Filgate is accomplished for her age, the magazine said, pointing to a long list of her credentials: “Freelancer, book reviewer, social media maven, and a tireless worker in making books hip and relevant.”

Fearrington Inn Recognized by Conde Nast Traveler

Based on nearly 26,000 responses, The Fearrington House Country Inn, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, has been voted one of the top 60 hotels in the world, and second among small hotels in the United States by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. The hotel is part of Fearrington Village, home to McIntyre's Fine Books, one of the south's most celebrated independent bookstores.

Fearrington Village center, which includes the inn, a restaurant, the bookstore, and other shops, was developed by R.B. Fitch, father of McIntyre’s manager Keebe Fitch. In 2009, the bookstore celebrated its 20th anniversary.