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From NY to DC: A Mini Bookstore Tour
March 18, 2008
On her way to a meeting of the Library of Congress' Reading
Promotions Partners at the Center for the Book in Washington, D.C., ABA
Director of Member Services Jill Perlstein stopped at several bookstores
along the way to chat with their owners and snap a few photos for BookWeb.org's
photo
gallery.
In a trip covering over 600 miles in a little more
than two days, Perlstein stopped at six ABA member stores.
Jemma and Jack Buckley |
First up was a visit with Jack and Jemma Buckley at Ninth Street Book Shop in
Wilmington, Delaware. The former schoolteachers opened Ninth Street Book Shop
in 1977, in a location approximately 100 feet from the present storefront.
The area has changed significantly over the years, and in June
2007 Jack Buckley said that fewer than 10 percent of the businesses that
were in the surrounding area when the store opened are still around. To adapt
to  the
changing environment, the Buckleys reduced Ninth Street's inventory and changed
its mix to feature fewer business books and more fiction. In spite of the reduced
inventory, Buckley noted that the store was still good at having
the right book for people. A selection of magazines and greeting cards also
draws customers to the store.
 Perlstein's
next stop was Greetings &
Readings in Hunt Valley, Maryland, a 30,000-square-foot store filled with
books and cards, sports memorabilia, tableware, porcelain, crystal, fashions,
teapots, and more. The business, founded in 1969 by the Baum family, began as a gift and card shop in a 1,800-square-foot space in a Towson, Maryland, strip
mall. About three years ago, Greetings & Readings, which is now co-owned
by the founders' son, Steven  Baum,
and his brother-in-law, Stephen Spund, moved to the Hunt Valley Towne Centre
in Baltimore County. In a BTW
feature last fall, Baum noted that each of the store's 100-plus employees
works in a specific department. Staff members who sell handbags don't blow up
balloons, cafe servers don't fit shoes, and only booksellers sell books.
 Following
the meeting at the Center of the Book, where she discussed
literacy issues with like-minded organizations, Perlstein stopped at the first
of two specialty stores on her route: Fairy Godmother, a children's bookstore
in Washington, D.C. In contrast to the vastness of Greetings & Readings,
Fairy Godmother is a small store, tucked into an old house. It's filled with books
for children, from infants through teens, in English, Spanish, and French, as
well as classic toys, Madame Alexander dolls, Steiff stuffed animals, CDs, DVDs,
arts and crafts supplies, puppets, and more.
 On
the return trip was a stop at Chester County
Book & Music Company, a 49,900-square-foot store featuring more than 250,000 books,
60,000 CD and DVD recordings, and a full-service restaurant, in West Chester,
Pennsylvania. Originally only 1,000 square feet, the store was expanded by owners
Kathy and Bob Simoneaux in 1996 when its neighbor, Rainbow Records, was divesting
its Pennsylvania properties. In a previous
BTW article, Chester Country's Joe Drabyak explained that Kathy and Bob Simoneaux decided to buy out the record store, knock down the wall between
them, and begin with a fully stocked, ready made music department. Today, the recordings include a range from pop, rock, rap, and R&B to classical, jazz, blues, country, and world music. The music area also stocks a wide selection
of specialty import titles and DVDs. Befitting Pennsylvania's importance in
the upcoming Democratic presidential primary, when Perlstein stopped at Chester County, the store featured two
displays to help voters chose candidates: one of books by politicians and the
other, in a different section, by the pundits.
 In
Hillsborough, New Jersey, Perlstein met with Chicklet
Books owner Deb Hunter, who is not letting a broken ankle keep her from
the funky book boutique, which she opened in December 2004. With a hot pink, purple,
apple green, turquoise, and polka dot interior, comfy chairs, and window seats,
Hunter has created a distinctive environment in 1,300 square feet of space.
In September 2007, Hunter opened
a second Chicklet Books in Princeton, New Jersey, in 3,000 square feet of
selling space upstairs and 6,000 square feet downstairs. She also owns Glen
Echo Books in Princeton, New Jersey, and Unique & Novel (a wholesaling business).
 The
last stop on Perlstein's tour was Divine
Inspirations, a bookstore and wellness center founded
by Gloria Brown in 2005 in Nutley, New Jersey. In a 2,000-square-foot space,
Brown helps people find their way to physical and spiritual health through books
and instruction in the healing arts. The store sells books,  candles,
incense, CDs, DVDs, and more. And in a 400-square-foot room that Brown has designated
as the wellness center, Divine Inspirations offers classes in everything from
belly dancing and yoga to herbal medicine, diet, and other types of healing.
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At the Center for the Book
Each year, the Center for the Book convenes a meeting of Reading Promotion
Partners for an "idea exchange." This year's meeting, moderated
by librarian and historian John Y. Cole, brought 45 partners to the Library
of Congress' James Madison Memorial Building on Wednesday, March 12.
The purpose of the day's discussion was to share information about each
organization's reading and literacy promotion activities. The meeting
also provided opportunities to network. Among the programs that have grown
out of previous meetings was ABA's Prescription for Reading promotion.
Relationships with other organizations, such as the Children's Book Council,
the American Library Association, and the Association of American Publishers,
have also been strengthened by participation. At last week's meeting,
each organization reported on its literacy efforts and ways in which
the other participants could help.
Perlstein spoke about ABA's mission and how independent booksellers are
key in communities looking to encourage reading and literacy. She also encouraged the attendees to search out independent bookstores and to shop locally.
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Topics: About ABA, About Bookstores, Literacy/Reading,
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