Moving Day for Two Indies

Sunday, March 29, was moving day for two indie bookstores -- nearly 40-year-old Rakestraw Books in Danville, California, and three-year-old Nightbird Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas. With a big assist from customers and friends, both stores were able to reopen quickly in their new digs.

Rakestraw Books

Rakestraw Books closed early on March 29 and was up and running the next day after moving around the corner. The new location, a 3,000-square-foot space, in a historic building on Hartz Avenue (the town's Main Street) is in downtown Danville. The store has nearly 70 feet of west-facing picture windows, brightly painted walls, Persian rugs, lamps, antiques, and paintings, and is about one third bigger than the former location.

The move "was definitely a community event," said owner Michael Barnard. "More than 50 people showed up to help us pack with the result that we were starting to move bookcases and books by about 11:00 a.m. By day's end we were nearly 100 percent in the new place. It was a terrific outpouring of support. Another 40 to 50 showed up Monday and Tuesday morning both.... People have been surprised by how quickly it all happened, but when you have many hands helping, it happens fast."

The bookstore, which was founded in 1973 by Mary and Brian Harvey, was bought by Barnard in 1995. "For almost 40 years, we have served the readers of Danville and the San Ramon Valley with book recommendations, author appearances, charitable activities, and community service," he said.

Rakestraw held an initial reopening event on April 6 -- its third annual collaboration with the California Shakespeare Theater. The evening included a scene enacted from a Shakespeare play and an author event, and it began with a pinot noir tasting and hors d'oeuvres. The cost was $20 per person, and proceeds benefited the theater company's education programs.

Rakestraw Books will hold a formal grand reopening party on Saturday, May 9.

The store's new address is 522 Hartz Avenue, Danville, California 94526-3821. Its telephone numbers remain the same.

Nightbird Books

Nightbird Books moved about one mile to a busier area of Fayetteville. The store closed on March 29 and reopened on April 1. "Our foot traffic has already increased significantly in the few days we have been open," said owner Lisa Sharp. "My selling square footage is just a bit larger, but I finally have a real office and lots of storage space."

Sharp also plans to lease out space in the store to a cafe. "The cross traffic from the food and coffee shoppers will be great, and I'll also have the space for events," she said.

Nightbird's grand reopening and third birthday celebration will be on April 25. The store will host a local author spotlight in the morning, and Geoffrey and Van Brock will read their poems from The Poets Guide to the Birds (edited by Judith Kitchen and Ted Kooser, Anhinga Press. A local restaurant, Brick House Kitchen, will cater the event.

As with Danville, Nightbird had the help of customers for much of the heavy lifting. "We moved every book in the store in four hours," Sharp said. "About two dozen people showed up to help move on Sunday, including the owners of the Dickson Street Book Shop, the used bookstore one block west of me. Many more customers came by in the afternoon, but we were done! On Monday, I had professionals move the cases and cash wrap. More volunteers showed up at midday to start shelving books as the cases arrived."

The large aviary that's always been a part of the bookstore and houses an assortment of 18 finches, doves, and canaries is on its way.

Nightbird's new address is 205 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701. The store's phone numbers remain the same. --Karen Schechner