Around Indies

BookCourt Transforms Basement

BookCourt, in Brooklyn, New York, has reopened its lower level to house a wider selection of discounted books, including bargain fiction, nonfiction, mystery, art, and a “$1” bookcase. In the past, the space served as an office and a place to showcase recent fiction.

Bigger plans are in store for BookCourt come summer time, general manager Zack Zook told the Brooklyn Paper. The store’s staff hopes to convert the space into a “saloon style room,” complete with coffee, wine, and other non-reading material.

“People want to gather here, to write and read,” Zook told the Brooklyn Paper’s Meredith Deliso, who noted the success of BookCourt while nearby chains face closures.

“The neighborhood has been so good to us over the years,” Zook added. “As the community grows, we’ve been able to embrace the droves of newbies to the area.”

Bob Greene of BookPeople of Moscow to Retire

Last week, Bob Greene, owner of BookPeople of Moscow, in Moscow, Idaho, announced that he would be retiring this spring and would move to Portland, Oregon. Greene, who has been a bookseller for 30 years, told Dnews.com that he believes it is possible for the bookstore to thrive in a digital world, and he hopes to pass his business to someone more familiar with technology.

“It’s a new century. There’s a new way of doing business,” he said. “We’ve got to make way for the young folks, give them a chance.”

Greene, who is 63, told the newspaper that he plans to use his retirement to read and discuss books with his wife, spend time at the ocean, learn to garden in a wet climate, and “fill in the gaps” in his knowledge.