Around Indies

New Owners Explain Why They Bought Politics and Prose

Lissa Muscatine and Bradley Graham, former reporters and editors for the Washington Post, published a column in the newspaper’s Opinion section, explaining why they decided to purchase the iconic Washington, D.C. Bookstore, Politics and Prose.

“What was evident to us throughout the sale process was that Barbara and David were not selling just a business,” they wrote. “They were selling a cultural institution that was part discussion forum, part neighborhood meeting ground, part event stage. And they were determined that Politics and Prose not only survive and thrive, but continue to reflect Barbara and Carla’s legacy.”

Chapter One Considers Some Minor Re-arranging

On April 1, Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana, celebrated its 37^th anniversary. Since the store opened in 1974, it has been housed in three locations in downtown Hamilton and had been owned by six different people. The current owners, Shawn Wathen (15 years) and Mara Lynn Luther (6 years), are looking forward to another year and are considering some minor re-arranging. “We don’t need a face-lift,” said Luther, “Chapter One has aged very gracefully, but every now and then we want to try something new.”

A few weeks ago, Russ Lawrence and Jean Matthews, who co-owned the store with Wathen before they joined the Peace Corps, checked in from Peru.

Oblong Books Celebrates Rhinebeck Expansion

Last weekend, Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, New York, celebrated the grand opening of Oblong Jr., its expanded children’s section. The business, owned by Dick Hermans and daughter Suzanna Hermans, also includes a store in Millerton, New York, which already featured an Oblong, Jr.

The expansion added a 1,000 square feet to the Rhinebeck store.