"Doesn't everyone want to have a bookstore?"--Adam Tobin, who last June opened Adam's Books in Brooklyn, N.Y., in a New York Sun story about five very different bookstores that opened last year in New York City.

During the past several days, CNN's Wolf Blitzer has reported that President Bush is reading A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 by Alistair Horne (New York Review of Books Classics, $19.95, 9781590172186/1590172183), a 1977 account of the French war in Algeria, which ended with French withdrawal from its former colony. In the preface to this edition, published in October, Horne makes a connection to the current situation in Iraq. The title is in the low 100s on Amazon.com's bestseller list.

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The Peppertree Bookstore, which has one store in Palm Springs, Calif., will open its second, delayed store, in Old Town La Quinta, on Monday, February 5, according to the Desert Sun. Peppertree has been holding some events in office space and on the shopping area's outdoor lawn.

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The San Francisco Chronicle browses through Black Oak Books and chats with some of its owners, who are hoping to find a buyer for the new, used and rare bookstore. Black Oak, which has two locations, one in Berkeley and the other in San Francisco, is feeling pressures familiar to most booksellers: Internet and big-box competition; high leases; and changing customer habits.

Concerning that last dynamic, co-owner Bob Brown commented: "You build up an idea of the ideal type of customer--the stereotype of the perpetual graduate student, someone intellectually interested in a wide range of fields--but there seem to be fewer and fewer of those people around."

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The Apollo Book Shop, Costa Mesa, Calif., which Mary-Alice and Lin Currie founded 45 years ago, closed last Saturday, the Daily Pilot reported. The 900-sq.-ft. store had stocked some 25,000 used books. Lin died last October; Mary-Alice is 78.

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The Bookshelf, Morgantown, W.Va., has moved to larger quarters, according the Daily Athenaeum. Among the most popular sections in the 30-year-old used bookstore: spirituality, "complemented by a variety of Buddhist incense imported from Tibet"; the children's section with a table in the center painted by the eight-year-old daughter of one of owner Jim Sachse's friends; and the 50-ft. wall featuring work by local artists. 

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Final Draft Books, the used bookstore that opened in Staunton, Va., a year ago, is moving to larger quarters, the Staunton News Leader reported. Owner Linda Singer said that classics and history are the store's most popular categories.

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Jessica Dyer has joined Unbridled Books as a marketing associate. She was formerly director of marketing and publicity at Fulcrum Publishing and earlier worked at Pruett Publishing, National Geographic Maps Technology Division and Mountain Press. She will work from Colorado and may be reached at 888-732-3822 (888-READ-UBB) x 114 or via e-mail at jessica@unbridledbooks.com. 

 

Bookstore sales in November were $1.092 billion, down 1.7%, from $1.111 billion in the same month in 2005, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau revised October sales downward to $1.003 billion from $1.006 billion.

For the year to date, bookstore sales were $14.156 billion, down 1.8% from $14.417 billion in the first eleven months of 2005.

Through June bookstore sales for the year had been up 0.8%, but with the 9.3% drop in sales in July compared to July 2005 (the summer of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), year-to-date sales slipped into negative territory although they have stopped sliding. Also keep in mind that the Census Bureau does not include several significant types of bookstore sales (see definitions, below).

Total retail sales in November rose 4.6% to $329.4 billion from $314.8 billion in November 2005. For the year to date, total retail sales rose 6.3% to $3.55 trillion from $3.34 trillion in the same period in 2005.

Note: under Census Bureau definitions, bookstore sales are of new books and do not include "electronic home shopping, mail-order, or direct sale" or used book sales.

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General retail sales in December had a surprisingly strong finish, rising 0.9% to $369.9 billion, compared to November, the Commerce Department said. With autos excluded, sales were up 1%, the biggest climb since January 2006. Compared to December 2005, sales rose 5.4%.

At the same time, November sales were revised downwards, to a 0.6% gain, instead of a 1% rise. Still, momentum rose toward the end of the year, after a sluggish earlier part of the year.

Analysts credited the December gain on the popularity of large-screen TVs and other electronic products; warm weather; and low unemployment. In part because of the positive news, some economists are predicting healthy sales in 2007.

This morning on Imus in the Morning: Kurt Vonnegut, whose bestselling A Man Without a Country is available in paperback (Random House Trade Paperbacks, $13.95, 9780812977363/081297736X).

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Today Live with Regis and Kelly turns the spotlight on actor Rupert Everett, who shares the story of his rise to fame in Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins: The Autobiography (Warner, $25.99, 9780446579636/0446579637). 

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Today the Martha Stewart Show serves up Aussie chef Neil Perry, author of The Food I Love (Atria, $50, 9780743292450/0743292456).

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Today the View works out with LL Cool J, author of LL Cool J's Platinum Workout (Rodale, $27.95, 9781594866081/1594866082).

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Today on WAMU's Diane Rehm Show, Terri Apter unravels The Sister Knot: Why We Fight, Why We're Jealous, and Why We'll Love Each Other No Matter What (Norton, $25.95, 9780393060584/0393060586).

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Today on NPR's Fresh Air: Zev Chafets, author of A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance (HarperCollins, $24.95, 9780060890582/0060890584). (This was originally scheduled for last week.)

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Today Fox & Friends scores an appearance by Jerry Rice (of NFL and Dancing with the Stars fame) about Go Long!: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame (Ballantine, $24.95, 9780345496119/0345496116).

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Tonight on CBS's 48 Hours: Janet Pelasara, author of Love You More: The Taylor Behl Story (ReganBooks, $24.95, 9780061145957/ 0061145955), the story of her daughter and her murder.

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Tonight on the Charlie Rose Show: Ed Viesturs tackles the subject of his book co-written with David Roberts No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks (Broadway Books, $23.95, 9780767924702/0767924703).

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Tonight on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Michael Oren, author of Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present (Norton, $35, 9780393058260/0393058263).

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Tonight the Colbert Report hears from Dinesh D'Souza about The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 (Doubleday, $26.95, 9780385510127/0385510128).

From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at BookSense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:

Hardcover

The Day the Bozarts Died by Larry Duberstein (Permanent, $26, 9781579621346/1579621341). "This story of the residents of a Massachusetts artists' collective had me hooked from page one, especially because of the sarcasm and humor of its central character, middle-aged playwright Stanley Noseworthy. This is a captivating tale of getting older, changing times, and interwoven lives."--Pam White, Skyland Books, West Jefferson, N.C.

Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, $34.95, 9781401301958/1401301959). "Jamie Oliver, the famed Naked Chef, has also just released a new cookbook, with alluring photographs and delicious recipes that are fresh and straightforward. From stews and spaghettis to roasts and risottos, he takes us on a journey through Italy with stories about the people and places he visited in the north and south of the country."--Alice Lee, Book Ends, Winchester, Mass.

Paperback

Venus Envy by Shannon McKelden (Forge, $12.95, 9780765315854/0765315858). "The goddess Venus is forced to become the fairy godmother to Rachel Greer, who is fed up with dating. The idea of combining classical mythology, fairy tale, and a chick-lit read was absolutely ingenious!"--Audrey Blaisdell, Sarasota News & Books, Sarasota, Fla.

For Young Adults

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (Dial, $16.99, 9780803730012/0803730012). "This story of a family threatened by an unpredictable, psychotic mother is suspenseful, dark, and disturbing, and yet, also, hopeful. Werlin frames the story as a letter from 17-year-old Matthew to his youngest sister, dispensing personal thoughts and dramatic tension bit by bit as he works to protect his sisters. I really loved this devastating yet uplifting book."--Mimi Powell, Baker Books, North Dartmouth, Mass.

[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]

Here Kate Whouley remembers the Waldenbooks in Needham, Mass., which is closing--a store she managed in its early days. Whouley owns Books in Common, which offers consulting services to independent booksellers, and is the author of Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved.

Another report of a bookstore closing as the year opens: we pause, sigh and shake our heads, perhaps offer a little prayer for the owner and staff. For most of us--independent booksellers and supporters of same--the closing of a small-town Waldenbooks doesn't elicit the same sadness. Hey, it's a chain, one of a zillion bookstores in the Borders dominion, and haven't they finished closing those tiny Waldenbooks stores yet?

But the Waldenbooks scheduled to close in Needham, Mass., is a neighborhood bookstore in a downtown storefront that just happens to have corporate ownership. Wonderful booksellers have worked there, many for long stints; until a couple of years ago, one woman I hired in 1982 was still helping customers. In the 1980s, the décor was Walden gray--the shelves, the tables, the counter, all gunmetal gray--with a bright blue carpet. The coolness of the store's ambiance was rescued by the light coming through the big plate glass windows in the front of the store. A traffic signal at the end of the block meant cars and trucks slowed as they passed our store. Looking out those plate glass windows one day, I saw a small truck, not much larger than a pickup, filled up with blue Post Office letter boxes, new models, destined to be rooted to sidewalks--where? For a moment, I was caught up in their adventure. Then the light changed, and they were gone. It was one of those moments when we encounter familiar objects in unfamiliar settings, and find ourselves forced to rethink what we know about the world. The memory of that afternoon would find its way into Cottage for Sale, written 21 years later.

I moved to Needham from Newport, R.I., where I'd been the assistant manager in a Waldenbooks on Bellevue Avenue. I was sent to Needham with a mission: clean it up; and with a promise: if you get it running smoothly, we'll give you the next big Boston store. It turned out that my superiors were speaking literally with their instructions to clean. This I discovered the night before I was due to start working. Using the key I'd been given, I let myself in that Sunday while the store was closed, thinking, "It's been open only a year--how bad can it be?" The answer: BAD. It was unspeakably, inexplicably messy. Imagine the worst pack-rat you know, multiply his or her tendencies by 10 or 10,000. In addition to the daily detritus of life--opened and unopened mail, broken Rubik's Cubes, miscellaneous, notes, keys, papers, papers, papers, there were books arriving daily. Ah, but books can be shelved, right? It would be correct to say books may be shelved. Or they may not be shelved. In the bookstore I'd volunteered to clean up, there were piles of books in front of overflowing bookcases. It was clear immediately that merchandising had not been a priority of the previous manager, nor, it seemed, were returns. For in addition to all those books blocking the aisles upstairs, there were the treasures of the basement. As large as the store itself, the basement held an inventory equal to or exceeding the books--shelved and not--on the sales floor.  

That first night, I made my beachhead: the cashwrap, as it was known in Waldenspeak. Because the backroom was not even a room, but rather a hallway with a desk in it, the cashwrap area was also the shipping and receiving center for the store. It was designed so that much was hidden from the customer--or from the unsuspecting new manager until she turned the corner. I feel grateful to this day that I had a witness: my boyfriend at the time, a good soul and a fellow bookseller; his gasp was even louder than mine. Then, sensing my rising panic, he said, "I'll help. We'll do it tonight." We filled, if memory serves, seven brown Hefty bags with trash--everything from crumpled tissues to empty rolls of cash register tape to an ashtray filled with cigarette butts. "At the register!?" We were both suitably appalled, and I decided to throw out the ashtray along with the cigarette butts.  

As we worked our way down to the gray surface of the counter, I was already writing the Waldenbooks Action Plan in my head: No smoking on the sales floor; All books will be shelved in sections or in the overstock areas. I don't recall the other items on the list, but I do remember--I think I may have actually typed out the plan onto the triplicate Waldenbooks' forms--that the staff, when asked to read and initial the plan to signify they intended to comply with the new rules of order, resigned en masse. Except for the assistant manager, who stuck around only because she'd been promised transfer to another store if she worked under me for some unspecified period of time. It turned out she was the smoker, and she was not fond of my rules or of me. She made a habit of lighting her cigarette as she put on her coat in the backroom; then she would stride across the sales floor to the front door, trailing smoke and resentment in her wake. Eventually, I amended the Action Plan to move all smoking outside the store, and she--just in the nick of time--was transferred.

I have to say it puzzled me, and still does: wasn't what I was asking of staff simply what would be asked of any bookseller in any bookstore in America? Shelve the books, keep the counters clear, don't blow smoke in the faces of your customers. And yet they quit, some with unkind words. My world-weary district manager wasn't surprised: "It's better to start fresh with your own crew." And so it was. Impossibly, magically better. It was a great crew; friendly, efficient, pleasant, kind. The two strongholds were Kit, a special order whiz who replaced me as manager, and June, who remains to this day my personal paragon of great customer service. It wasn't only that she could sell books. June knew how to make customers feel cared for--I suspect no one would contradict me if I were to say that hers was the vibe that kept that store going for more than 20 years after I left town.

From that small store in the Boston suburbs, I did move to a big store in Boston; it wasn't a Waldenbooks, but the soon-to-open six-story Boston University Bookstore. It was a dream job that I never thought I'd get, but somehow I did. In retrospect, I am pretty sure I was hired principally for my youthful stamina. Seventeen hour days and heavy lifting were not a problem. At B.U., and subsequently, at the Booksmith and Musicsmith stores, I loved the buying independence that I had, the ability to make decisions on a small scale without having to consult some distant home office. I became active in NEBA and ABA, eventually launching my own business as a consultant to independent booksellers. I revel in the freedom that independence fosters, and I work hard to support my clients' survival, growth and business success. But I know that some of what I teach my clients I learned working for a chain. When business talk turns to blanket statements about how bad the chains are, I'm inclined to say, "There are some great people working in the chains, and some great stores, too." And when I say it, I am thinking of Kit and June and that tiny store on Great Plains Avenue that soon will be no more.