Around Indies

Bunch of Grapes to Reopen

Bunch of Grapes bookstore will reopen on Saturday, June 13, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times The 37-year-old store has been closed for nearly a year after a fire last July.

In the interim, previous owner Ann Nelson sold the business to Dawn Braasch, but Nelson remains the building owner and serves as a consultant. "I think it's going to be a marvelous situation," Nelson told the Martha's Vineyard Times. "Not only are we serving the community, but the community has really served us. Over the years, people have been such good patrons, and without them, we wouldn't be in business."

While the store was closed, Braasch ran a small Bunch of Grapes in a nearby building, which helped the new bookseller become familiar with the business and her customers, who, she said, were extraordinarily supportive throughout the entire transition.

The Magic Tree to Celebrate 25th Anniversary

On Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, The Magic Tree bookstore in Oak Park, Illinois, will host a gala 25th anniversary kickoff celebration.

Owners Rose Joseph and Iris Yipp have planned a weekend full of festivities, which feature visits from 11 authors and illustrators including Jon Scieszka, Ashley Bryan, Richard Peck, Gennifer Choldenko, and Jerry Pinkney. The visiting authors will read favorite selections from their works and personalize copies of their books.

Northshire Plays Host to Kids' Clothing Store and Visitor Information Desk

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, is now home to a children's clothing store and a Chamber of Commerce visitor information desk.

Zutano, a two-decade baby clothes purveyor, will have a grand opening for its Northshire store this July, reported the Rutland Herald. The owners of Zutano, Uli and Michael Belenky, have their home and factory in Cabot, have a location in Montpelier, Vermont, and also have a store-within-a-store in Manhattan's FAO Schwarz. Zutano products can also be bought online and in more than 1,500 gift and specialty stores.

In a press release, Northshire General Manager Chris Morrow said, "We are putting more and more effort into making our children's section world class. This is a great opportunity for both partners, as Zutano represents an internationally-respected brand with deep roots in Vermont, and the store will be an amazing complement to our product offerings in the children's department."

The Manchester Journal reported this week that a new Chamber of Commerce visitor information desk has been installed at the front of Northshire, with additional materials available in the store vestibule and a 24/7 electronic kiosk installed outside the store. The bookstore has added a "Visitor Information" sign to its own signage. Throughout the summer, information kiosks will direct visitors to the bookstore for Vermont travel information, the newspaper said.

Village Square Booksellers Named "People of the Year"

Pat and Alan Fowler, owners of Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls, Vermont, were recently named the town of Rockingham's People of the Year by the Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce, as reported by the Message for the Week.

The Fowlers bought their bookstore in 2000, and two years later relocated nearby to a larger location. The Message for the Week described the couple as "an active, integral, important part of the greater Bellows Falls community." The general bookstore has a caf area that is used for book readings and other events.

And, over the past decade, the Fowlers "have been involved in the Our Town group, the 3rd Friday Artwalks, the local FACT-TV local television station, filming concerts and school board meetings, the Front porch Concert Series, and many other projects too numerous to list," the Message noted.