13015 Larchmere Blvd.
Shaker Hts., OH 44120
216.795.9800
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CENSORSHIPWednesday, March 26, 2008
Harriett
Indiana: new home of the literary wary and repressed. The Govenor passed into law a vague and therefore sweeping legislation requiring all stores that sell "sexually explicit materials" to register with the state. This apparently includes everything from sex ed to Lolita and much tamer things in between. In other words, most of modern literature. The ABFFE is focusing an effort to repeal this, visit their website to learn more.
DUTTON'S BOOKS CLOSURETuesday, March 11, 2008
Harriett
Another one gone. Dutton's Brentwood in LA has been a legendary independent bookstore, the kind of community resource that creates legends. They opened another branch in Beverly Hills a few years back, and got forced out by the landlord seeking more rent from "yet another steak house." Now their current landlord in Brentwood is redeveloping the strip mall, and Dutton's will go down in the dust. Whether they re-materialize like the phoenix remains to be seen, but closings and openings command a lot of capital, and in trying times, that's exactly the missing piece of the puzzle. A very nice eulogy by author Jessica Teich is posted on the online Nation. Farewell, friends.
IN THE NEWSMonday, March 10, 2008
Harriett
Two articles worth mentioning today: one about Seattle, and one about hometown Larchmere Boulevard.
The first is a NYTimes business profile of Seattle's enormous influence in the world of book publishing and buying. As the home of Amazon.com, Costco, Starbucks and famed librarian Nancy Pearl, this city seems to be a mecca for powerful book buying decisions. Most of the publishers are in New York, but these four very different recommenders of books wield enormous publishing prowess. It's interesting to see that they actually have something in common.
On the homefront, David DiVita's Larchmere Deli and Beverage was chosen to be the location for an upcoming Ohio Lottery commercial. He was closed last Thursday for the event, and the film crew took over. They worked for 8 hours for the 30-second spot, which should air starting March 31.
NORTH COUNTRY BOOKS Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Harriett
There were three major reasons I decided to open Loganberry Books in Cleveland, Ohio instead of Burlington, Vermont. Reason number one was the great opportunity to share retail space (and overhead) with Dede Moore and her outstanding collection of oriental rugs. Reason number two was family and that book scouting mother of mine. Reason number three was a new bookstore had just opened in Burlington in the very months I was making this decision, and you could tell it was run by someone who knew what he was doing. It wasn't on the Church Street Marketplace yet, it was just a hair north, but it was just a matter of time before they moved. I've visited North Country Books every time I get to Burlington, which admittedly isn't as often as it used to be, and I've seen the store grow and meld into a wonderful used bookstore with great depth of field, some wonderful collectible gems, and a great bookish atmosphere.
I've just read that they are closing. Mark Ciufo states he'll continue the online business and close down the shop and its overhead, a common fate to used booksellers these days. But there's also a new Border's that just opened across the street, and of course that has an impact. I am disappointed to see them go, even from my seat in Ohio.
P.S. Still having web publishing issues here... sorry if the image doesn't appear.
BAGHDAD
BOOKSELLERS Monday, January 7, 2008
Harriett
Resilient booksellers. Less than a year after the Mutanabi Street Book Market in Baghdad was decimated by a car bomb, the booksellers are back to work, selling from make-do shelves and cloths on the ground. And customers are coming, slowly. After all, you can't forever suppress the need for information, intellectual pursuit, and an occasional good read. Just ask the Mutanabi vendors.
QUOTE OF THE DAY Monday, January 28, 2008
Harriett
As reported by the ABA from their Winter Institute, Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy, says:
"The big box store is just a machine for global warming."
A perfect distillation of the big picture in a small sentence.
BOOK
REC: YELLOW-LIGHTED BOOKSHOPTuesday, January 29, 2008
Title: The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History
Author: Lewis Buzbee
Reviewer: Aunt Susan
If you love books and bookstores, do try The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History by Lewis Buzbee. It was published in 2006, and it’s a small book, but small only in size. It’s too full of good information to be in the precious category, and it’s so “right-on” it made me laugh. Highly recommended.
BOOKSTORE
CLOSINGS
Monday, December 17, 2007
Ellie
It's sad to see a bookstore close. The Book Baron of Anaheim, California, an institution of 20,000 square feet, 500,000 used and rare books, and 27 years in the business, is closing this month with a fire sale. And Loome Antiquarian Books of Stillwater, MN is closing this month too, also with a giant sale and promotional YouTube video to bring in the droves. The video ("the books act out their favorite literary death scenes") is funny, clever, and sad, all simultaneously. I've been there. I burned a book at the end of Coventry Books. C'est La Vie.
PREP
WORK
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Harriett
Getting ready for the Holiday Stroll is hard work. But it's good to remember that the hype is really just about getting a book into someone's hands, and that's ultimately a good thing for everyone concerned. The quote of the day comes from Vivien Jennings of Rainy Day Books in Fairway, Kansas (thanks).
"We are so lucky to be able to believe in what we sell. Books can make you laugh, keep you on the edge of your chair in suspense, take you back in history, help you be healthier, and encourage you to live a better life in a better world. Best of all, they are always the right color and size, won't wilt, are non-fattening, lead-free, and are recyclable. What more can we ask?"
Thanks also to Kelly Ferjutz today for a nice profile piece in CoolCleveland.com. Now we just have to get Thomas Mulready's Cuyahoga passport stamped and remind him that we're on Larchmere Boulevard. Locally owned, locally responsive (no link to Amazon. ok?).
CIROBE Monday, October 29, 2007
Brenda
Chicago is full of great things to see, such as museums and parks. For three days, all we saw were cavernous exhibition halls built underneath Michigan Avenue, crowded with books, sellers and buyers. And, oh my, did we buy! Big fabulous art books, charming children's picture books, histories of an amazing variety of peoples, places and things, and even some bookmarks and music cd's.
We
had lots of fun doing this, even though we ended up completely
overloaded.
The books will be shipped to us from about 35 different vendors, some
in
Europe, and should arrive here well before the holiday shopping
season.
We eagerly await the unwrapping sessions. Come see
what
we bought! Maybe we will even be willing to let some of them
go.
They are all very beautiful, brand new, and priced below retail.
We can't wait to see them again!
CIROBE
Monday, October 22, 2007
Harriett
Gettin' ready for the Chicago International Remainder &
Overstock
Book Expo this weekend... Over a hundred wholesale dealers, close
to 500 tables, I'm not counting the number of books.... But we're
sure to come home with some goodies, great bargains, and perfect
holiday
gifties. And sore feet! (Looking forward to it!)
SEEKING
NEW LOGANBERRY KIDS Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Harriett
Well, as you can see from the entry below, Becky found greener pastures (read: full time job with benefits). That means we're short-staffed here again! Anyone out there need a part-time job?
Job Description: cleaning & shelving of books, customer service, website updates (most especially Stump the Bookseller), basic upkeep and other glamorous retail tasks.
Skills needed: self-initiative, friendly and resourceful, basic computer skills (keyboarding, data entry, internet savvy, MS-Office tools, MS-Access a bonus). Oh yeah, and a love of books and good alphabetizing skills!
About the photo: you don't have to be a goat, but an appreciation of puns is a good thing around this many words. Special thanks to Erika for a perfect kid photo. (Applicants: bring/send a resume with a short paragraph of why you want to work at Loganberry Books.)
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